The Price of ƒ я e e d o м
by xoxoMyRealityIsFiction
Summary: Ayisha would go to the ends of the world, and back, for one man, and one man alone. But how long can her love last when that man is the one, and only, Captain Jack Sparrow? Will take place through CotBP-OST. Slightly AU from the book.
1. Got A Bad Feeling About This Captain

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м  
><strong>**A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin _

_Full Summery: Ayisha would go to the ends of the world, and back, for one man, and one man alone. But how long can her love last when that man is the one, and only, Captain Jack Sparrow? Will take place through CotBP-OST. Slightly AU from the book._

**Scene One:**  
><em>I've Got A Bad Feeling About This Captain<em>

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><p><strong><em>Parted from me and never parted.<em>**  
><strong><em>Never and always touching and touched.<em>**  
><strong><em>I await you.<em>**

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><p>There is a lot more to Jack Sparrow than meets the eye. Oh, excuse me, <em>Captain<em> Jack Sparrow. He is a magnanimous man, and that is why I chose to stay with him even after all the unfortunate events he led the both of us into. He saved the lives of both my people and myself by not turning us over to my former owner; the vile man by the name of Cutler Beckett, who wanted to enslave us all and take our land. Though it was already too late for my brother, Aniba, and I.

You see, my brother and I were young and naïve. We ignored our parents warning not to leave the safety of the island; but we wanted to explore; _see_ things that we've only heard stories of. We snuck off the island and immediately regretted it. Everything was so foreign, and the people stared at us weirdly, as if _**we**_ were the ones who were strange. And Aniba and I, got lost amongst the chaos of the village we found offshore of the Nile river. And to further prove that we should have listened to our parents - strange pale-skinned men attacked the village we were in, and we were taken away along with the other villagers. Confused and scared my brother and I tried to stay together throughout the whole chaos, but it was futile. The people whom captured us were selling the villagers off, one by one to complete and total strangers! And once it was his (my brother's) turn to stand up on wooden platform in front of an audience, we were separated. I watched in horror as Aniba stood before many strange, pale-skinned people, and silently cried at the shouts of offerings the men were willing to pay for him.

Do I really need to explain the rest? I never saw Aniba again. Not until I met Jack.

I, myself, was bought by a man named Cutler Beckett, after my brother was sold off. I stayed in a small room in his house that I shared with numerous of other girls I wasn't allowed to speak to; and if I did, I would be punished will extra amounts of chores. Every morning I would wake up before the sun, and do many chores that which I have never done before in my entire life. Though I would say that I was lucky, since Beckett, for some reason, favored me over the rest of the girls. Their chores were worst than mine.

He – Beckett – always used to question about my past: where I came from, what were my people like, and so on. He spoke of my behavior; said that I acted as though as I have never been out in the world (which was not entirely false). Being as naïve as I was (and still am to this day, to a certain extent) answered all of his questions. I told him that I was from a place called Zerzura, which was the main city of my island called Kerma. that my father and mother, Taharka and Tiyy, were king and queen of my people, making me, princess. I never thought that he would plan the idea of robbing my city blind and enslaving my people for his own personal benefit. Again, not until I met Jack.

Jack, upon Beckett's orders, took me aboard his ship – the _Wicked Wench –_ and showed me the marvels of life on sea. Then eventually he, too, asked about the location of Kerma, and that was when I began to grow suspicious about the actions of the pale-skinned men I've come across since being sold as a slave. I was hesitant to answer Jack at first, but he proved to be quite an intriguing man, and I fell. Hard. He made – **makes** – me feel things that I have never felt before. Whenever I was around him, my heart would race, my cheeks would flush, and my entire body would yearn for his touch. And because of my feelings towards him, I told him that I would reveal the location of Kerma, but only if he helped me rescue my brother (whom I found out was in the New World in a place called the Bahamas), and he agreed.

The journey was long and difficult. Jack seemed to have many enemies after him, but I never gave up, nor did I stop fighting so that I and my brother could finally return home where we rightfully belonged. Never would I disobey my parents again.

We almost never made it, Jack and I; and a little more than half his crew were lost in battle; but, finally I was reunited with Aniba, and I, like I promised, led Jack and the _Wicked Wench_ to Kerma.

And to further prove his skill to always surprise me, Jack told my brother and I Beckett's plan. To say the least, I was both angered and disappointed. I trusted – loved even! – Jack, and he betrayed me. Aniba wanted to kill Jack and the rest of the crew, and steal the ship so that only he and I could return home; but I opposed. I gave Jack an ultimatum: help us, or let Aniba do as he wished, and I would not stop him. The ultimatum was both a test for Jack and myself - to see if he really was the man I fell in love with. Or was I as naïve as others always informed me of?

Jack proved to be the man whom captured my heart, promising to return me and my brother home with a promise never to tell Beckett of the island's whereabouts.

But I couldn't let him go.

I couldn't watch him sail away from me.

Even though I told myself that I would never disobey my parents again – I did. I left the safety of my home once again, and sailed the seas with Jack, hiding from Beckett whenever needed as not to rouse suspicion of Jack's lie. And even now, as the small boat we stole – oops, 'commandeered' – is slowly sinking; I, Ayisha, do not regret running away to be with Captain Jack Sparrow.

– **X –**

Silently staring out at sea, Ayisha squinted her eyes to see as far as she could. Raising her hand over her eyes, casting a shadow over her eyes, she thought that she could see the faint outline of land. A thick, black cloak was shielding her body from the harsh rays of the sun, and was leisurely flapping in the wind along with her dark-brown hair that was loosely braided and coming undone due to the gentle breeze. Sensing that she and Jack would be reaching land soon, Ayisha turned her gaze to Jack's sleeping form, half his body hanging off the edge of the narrow boat and bottles of rum clanking and rolling around the floor because of the continuous swaying of the small boat. Ayisha contemplated on waking him up to tell him that they would reach land soon, but decided against it, switching her gaze back out to sea.

She didn't like disturbing him. She felt that if she caused him too much trouble he would leave her, and she didn't want that. Feared it, actually. Without him, she would be lost. She knew close to nothing about this world because she was sheltered her whole life on an island no one could find unless you were a native to it.

Rising to her feet, standing on the wooden bench so that she wouldn't get her feet wet, Ayisha curled her fingers around the mast of the boat. Squinting her eyes, again, Ayisha could vaguely see the outline of an island in the distance. Eyes scrutinizing the tiny speck of land Ayisha felt something form in the pit of her stomach, and she learned to always follow what her gut was telling her.

...They shouldn't make port...

But if they didn't, they would surely sink since they didn't know when they would come up to land again.

A thud, splashing, and grumbles of profanity reached Ayisha's ears, causing a small smile to form on her lips. Turning her head around she saw Jack stumble to his feet, still obviously in a hazy state between sleep and wake. Well, _that_ or the rum has yet to wear off. Dusting off his clothes Jack fixed his hat so that it was sitting in the correct position on his head, and asked, "Have ye spotted land yet, Darlin'?" he, too, raising his hand over his eyes to shield them from the bright light of the sun, trying to spot any signs of land for himself.

Ayisha nodded in response, and pointed off into the distance, in the direction of the speck of land. She never spoke much, only unless if it was necessary. She didn't know why but she just felt better, _safer_, when a person could easily forget about her presence, even if they just met her. She liked to easily blend into the crowd if needed be. Besides, her accent tended to draw unwanted attention to her and she didn't like most of the stares she would receive because of it.

"It's not Tortuga, but it will do," Jack muttered, beginning the process of climbing up the mast. "We will make port, commander another ship – a better ship – and will be gone before sundown. How does that sound to ye, Love?"

Ayisha lips curved slightly into a frown and she glanced back at the speck of land that drew closer and closer. The feeling in the pit of her stomach continued to grow. "I do not think we should make land," she said, voicing her doubts, her voice much deeper, more husky, than a normal woman's.

Normally, Jack would heed to Ayisha's warnings because of her sensitivity of having a sixth sense, which was normal to her people, but not this time. "We don't have a choice in the matter Darlin', this boat won't last much longer – we have to make port. Don't worry too much, we'll be out of 'ere and heading towards Tortuga in no time."

Ayisha tried to find comfort in Jack's words. He always was right, in one way or another, but she still couldn't shake the feeling of worry. Her eyes were fixated on the island as they drew near, but then the sloshing sound of water splashing around in the boat re-captured her attention.

Gazing down at her feet Ayisha noticed that the water was dangerously rising and was almost to the bottom of her feet. Standing on the tip of her toes, in a lame attempt to keep her feet dry, Ayisha searched the boat for the source of the leakage. Jack jumped down from the mast, his weight causing the water to splash and splatter all over Ayisha, and she cocked her jaw to the side in annoyance. Well, there was no reason to try and not to get wet anymore...

While Jack was busy trying to shovel the water out of the boat with a bucket, Ayisha also jumped into the water – the bottoms of her loose, white trousers getting drenched in the process – and waddled through the sea water, still trying to find the hole letting water seep into the boat. Finding it, she then tried to find something to clog it with. Reaching for one of Jack's many empty rum bottles, Ayisha stuck it into the hole, and the water seepage slowed. Hopefully the bottle would buy them time to reach land before the boat sunk. But to her horror, the bottle then slipped through the hole, into sea, and the hole only grew bigger, letting more water in than before.

"Love, there ain't no use in trying to save her. She's going down," Jack stated from behind Ayisha. He grabbed her hand, helping her to her feet and proceeded in leading her to the mast, giving her a boost in climbing up.

Once Ayisha reached the top she bent down and helped Jack climb the rest of the way up. Keeping her eyes beneath them, at the water, which was rising faster and faster, almost completely engulfing the bottom half of the boat, Ayisha leaned into Jack's chest, her arms wrapping around his waist for leverage, and his arm wrapped around her shoulders.

Eyes inspecting their surroundings, her lips twitching to try and form a smile towards the many stares that she and Jack were receiving from gaping sailors, Ayisha could see them coming up to the dock of the island; boat sinking lower and lower all the while. Jerking to a halt, barely managing to reach the dock's edge, Jack simply walked off the mast like he didn't have a care in the world and held out a hand towards Ayisha, helping her off of the mast.

Strutting down the dock, towards the town, Jack and a bashful Ayisha passed by an official-looking man who did a double-take at the both of them. "W-what? Hey! Hold up there, you two," the man called towards them, and Jack swirled around on the balls of his feet, taking a few steps forward so that he and the man were face to face. "It's a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock."

All eyes turned towards the sunken ship, the sail flowing in rhythm with the sway of the waves.

"And I shall need to know your names," the man added, quill poised over his notebook, ready to write down Jack and Ayisha's names. It was a bad idea when they really thought about it, since Jack had a reputation most likely known throughout the whole world.

Jack held out a hand behind him, in Ayisha's direction, since she was standing right behind him, and she untied the small brown, leather money sack she had on her trousers. She emptied entire contents of the sack onto her hand, and then placed them on Jack's open palm. Jack briefly glanced at the three shillings and gave Ayisha an 'Are you kidding me?' look. Ayisha gave him a stern expression in return, eyes gesturing for him to give it to the man.

Rolling his eyes, Jack smoothly slid the three shillings onto the paper of the man's notebook. "What d'ye say to three shillings? And we forget the names?"

The man switched glances between Jack, Ayisha, and the three shillings on his notebook, and then snapped his book shut. "Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. and Mrs. Smith." The man smiled politely, and Jack placed his palms together, bowing in a thankful manner.

"Come, Mrs. Smith," Jack sniffled stiffly, strutting off and down the dock. Ayisha rushed to follow, falling in step with Jack. Suddenly, Jack stopped in his stride and backtracked. Eying him, Ayisha sighed. She shook her head at Jack when he picked up a small sack on the podium stationed at the dock, raised it to his ear, and shook it. He nodded in satisfaction and tossed her the sack, continuing in his walk down the dock. Looking down at the sack Ayisha could feel the weight of the many coins in her palm, and jogged down the dock to catch up with Jack,

"Could you not be more discreet?" she whispered, having to pick up her pace in order to keep up with Jack's long strides. She knew that in order to have money that Jack sometimes (if not all the time, although Ayisha was just praying that he only did it sometimes) had to steal money from other people. But to do it openly like he did just now?

Jack had changed since 'becoming' a pirate, though it was actually Beckett who forced him to become a pirate when he branded him with the trademark 'P' on his wrist. But he was still the same man, deep, deep, down inside; buried beneath all his walls of defence, and hidden behind the 'frightening' pirate persona everyone thought pirates to have.

"Darlin', I always know how much money we have. I remember for a fact that we only had three shillings left," Jack replied.

Ayisha refrained from voicing out that the reason they only had three shillings left, was because he spent the rest on rum. Technically it was Jack's money, not hers – she fortunately had not had to steal. Besides, even if she wanted to, Jack probably wouldn't let her.

Walking along the edge of the town, the wet sand feeling soft underneath Ayisha's thin white slippers, Jack held out an arm in front of her, causing her to stop. Peeking over the side of a tree, they spotted a ship swaying side to side at a dock where very few people seemed to be.

"I do not think they would let us just walk right up, and take the ship, Jack," said Ayisha. "Maybe we should find a smaller boat?"

"And where's the fun in that?" Jack grinned back at Ayisha, and immediately she knew that he had made up his mind in whatever plan he had in that strange mind of his.

Jack crept down the hill, underneath the stone bridge with Ayisha not far behind. They crept along the side, and down the dock. Once they stepped down the wooden steps, Jack coolly swaggered towards the ship, however, two men in royal navy red uniforms jogged in front of the pair, creating a human wall between Jack, Ayisha, and the ship.

"This dock is off limits to civilians," the tall, lanky man on the right stated.

"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't know. If I see one, I shall inform you immediately." Jack tried to walk past the men, but they simply stepped in his way for the second time. Jack glanced back at Ayisha, annoyance clear on his face. "Apparently there's some sort of high toned and fancy to-do up at the fort, eh? How could it be that two upstanding gentleman such as yourselves did _**not**_ merit an invitation?"

The lanky man responded meekly, "Someone has to make sure this dock stays off limits to civilians."

"It's a fine goal to be sure but it seems to me that a–" Jack tried to shift around the men again, but they too shifted, " –a ship like that, makes this one here a bit superfluous, really."

"Oh, the _Dauntless_ is the power in these waters, true enough, but there's no ship as can match the _Interceptor_ for speed."

Ayisha squinted her eyes, to see through the sun light, and spotted an outline of another ship: the _Interceptor._ Scrutinizing the outline of the navy boat, Ayisha switched her gaze back to Jack and nodded in understandment. That was the ship that they were going to 'commandeer.'

Jack tapped a finger over his mouth, and then waved it in the air, "I've heard of one, supposed to be very fast – nigh un-catchable – the_ Black Pearl_."

The pudgy man of the two, sputtered out a laugh, "Well, there's no _real_ ship as can match the _Interceptor_."

"The _Black Pearl_ is a real ship," his friend retorted, and the pudgy man gazed at him as if he were stupid.

"No, no it's not."

During their bickering, Ayisha strolled up next to Jack and pushed aside the thick black cloak around her body to let air in, growing hot by the weather. Part of her belly was bare, the thin white cotton tunic she had on – with gold trimming, slit open up to her belly-button – was a piece of the outfit she had on when she left her home of Kerma. She refused to change out of it, only washing it when necessary, because even though she loved Jack dearly, she missed her home, her family, and her people.

"Now would be the best time, while they are distracted," she murmured from beside Jack. He sucked at his teeth, nodding in agreement.

Slipping away, unseen, Ayisha boarded the ship after Jack, and roamed the boat silently. Up close, it wasn't as big as she thought it was; maybe they could slip away with this ship. That is, if Jack wasn't picky and wanted the other ship, the _Interceptor_, rather than the _Dauntless_. She didn't get it, a boat was a boat. As long as it floats and it could get them away from that island (ridding Ayisha of her bad feeling), then they would be fine until they reached Tortuga – the island in which Ayisha loathed going to more than anything.

"Hey! You! Get away from there!" The two guards jumped on board the ship, and pointed their rifles straight at Jack, whom was standing at the helm. "You don't have permission to be aboard there, mate!"

Sneaking up from behind the men, Ayisha slid out a dagger, which was hidden within the sleeve of her tunic, ready to take down the two men. Jack noticed this and lightly shook his head side to side. Ayisha slipped the dagger back into her sleeve, standing up straight from her hunched over position.

"I'm sorry, it's just – it's such a pretty boat– ship," Jack immediately corrected, his hands resting on the handles of the helm.

"What's your name?" the lanky man asked.

"Smith. Or Smithy, if you like," Jack lied with a curt nod of his head.

"What's your purpose in Port Royal, _Mr. Smith_?" the pudgy man questioned, obviously not as dumb as he looked, not believing Jack's fake name for a second.

"Yeah, and no lies," the lanky man abruptly added, his voice a pitch higher than normal.

Ayisha felt pity for the two men. They had obviously never dealt with a matter like this before. Jack strutted out from behind the large helm of the ship, slowly taking step by step towards the men, both of them inching back with each step forward Jack took.

"Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to commandeer one of the ships – with my lovely lass over there –" Jack gestured to Ayisha, and the men glanced back at her, shocked, probably forgetting that she was there, but quickly turned back to face Jack when he continued his speech. "Pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out."

Ayisha wanted to slap her forehead. _Oh, Jack, no,_ she thought in exasperation.

"I said no lies!" the lanky man uttered out in bewilderment,

"I think he's telling the truth," the pudgy man muttered,

"If he were telling the truth, he wouldn't have told us," the lanky man retorted. Ayisha silently sighed; they were going to get into another bickering argument, she could feel it,

"Unless, of course, he knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if he told it to you," Jack intervened, leaning forward, his fingers wrapped tightly around one of the many ropes tied to the mast. "Listen gentlemen, I think we've got off on the wrong foot here, aye? Let me tell you a bit about myself, and maybe you will reconsider, eh? Ayisha, Darlin', come over here. Gentlemen, this is Ayisha. A fine looking lass isn't she?" Jack asked, his arm leisurely wrapped around her shoulder.

Both men nodded, a smile on their faces, as Ayisha stood obediently next to Jack, the long, black cloak pushed behind her and showing off her frame. She knew that she was pleasing to the eye, having an exotic beauty about her (as Jack mentioned when they first met): long dark hair, a natural mocha skin complexion, strong features, full lips, and an aura of mystery because of her lack of words.

"Love, tell them about the first time we've escaped death with the Pelegostos."

Ayisha didn't bother to open her mouth, because soon after Jack finished his sentence, he started up on the tale himself; sliding his arm off her shoulders, so that he could use both hands to add more depth to the tale.

"It was about a few years ago, my lass and I landed on an island we thought to be deserted, but," he held up a finger in an over-dramatic way, the two guards engrossed in Jack's words, "it was not. All we intended to do was find fresh water, and sail back off into sea. Ayisha and I parted ways, to cover more ground, and I was captured."

Jack paused, and by the expressions of the guards' faces, they wanted him to continue. Ayisha silently sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, knowing that Jack was going to over-exaggerate the event and add something daring and heroic that she didn't remember him doing while back on the island with the Pelegostos. "They spoke in strange tongues, but after months of living and observing them–" (it was really only weeks) " - I'd learned to speak their language fluently." (No he didn't. She was the one who learned the language quickly, and at first spoke for the both of them when she, too, was later captured. Jack later picked up on the language.)

...And here comes the heroic part that never happened...

"During my captivity, all I could think of was what came of my lass. I've learned that they captured her by the river, and they planned on eating her – cannibals these people were. They created a big fire, and had Ayisha tied to a log hoisted over the blaze, ready to cook her; but I stopped them. I _BROKE_ out of my restraints, rushed over to her aid, and freed her from her prison. Amazed by my bravery, the people thought of me as a God sent from the heavens, and then they made me their chief."

A rather loud splash caught their attention, and Ayisha turned her head to the side just in time to see a woman plunge into the sea.

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><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** I know that you guys must be irritated with me that I had deleted this story for a _third_ time. But, I'm not going to do that anymore because I've come to realize that writing fanfiction is supposed to be fun - not a chore. I'm going to take my time with this, and re-write this entire story, and I would really appreciate it if you guys will **please** leave me a review. Even if it's a 'Man, again? You need to stop and get your ass into gear, woman'. I promise not to abandon you guys again. But, I am, and will, take my time and just have fun with this :)

Ayisha is really a woman from Jack's past, much like Angelica from 'On Stranger Tides'. And This story will be through all four movies, but it wont be just Ayisha inserted into the storyline. I'm going to make it as original as possible.

Now just FYI, the new version (that you are reading now) will have new information, so don't just skim through it.

Now, if you love Jack, and Ayisha, drop a line by clicking the pretty button on the bottom of this page that says 'review this chapter' :3

I've dedicated this repost to a dear friend of mine who told me not to give up. Gosh, don't you hate bipolar disorder? x3 I know I do - it makes me do crazy things.

Love you!


	2. It Can Only Be Jack

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin_ _

**Scene Two:**  
><em>It Can Only Be Jack<em>

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><p>Jogging to the starboard of the <em>Dauntless<em>, Ayisha leaned over the wooden railing, hoping to catch a glimpse of the woman swimming up to the surface of the sea. But, alas, she did not. Face ashen, Ayisha quickly untied the black lace around her neck that was holding up her cloak, letting the heavy black material fall to the deck with a soft thud. Grabbing onto one of the ropes, pulling herself up and onto the wooden railing, Ayisha shifted her body so that she could dive into the sea and rescue the damsel in distress,

"Wow, wow, hold on there, love." Jack tugged on the end of Ayisha's tunic, halting her from diving into the water. Ayisha glanced down at him impatiently, thinking that there was no time to waste. The woman could be sinking down to the bottom of the sea that very minute!

Jack turned his attention to the portly guard and pointed to the spot where they witnessed the woman plunge into the sea. "Would you be saving her then? I don't want my lass to dive into sea if it's unnecessary."

"I-I can't swim," the portly guard stammered out.

Ayisha rolled her eyes, trying to tug herself free of Jack's vice grip on the end of her tunic. She had to go in **now –** before it was too late. Jack switched his attention to the lanky guard, and he too shook his head, meaning that he, too, did not know how to swim as well. They had to be joking? Did the Royal Navy let_ anyone_ in?

"Pride of the King's Navy you are," Jack mumbled under his breath, forcefully yanking Ayisha down from the railing, and then he shrugged off his jacket, shoving it to her chest.

"Stay here," he ordered, staring directly in Ayisha's eyes, and she had no option but to nod obediently. "Do not lose these," he told the two guards, randomly handing the men his effects as he stripped them off of his person one by one. Glancing one last time back at Ayisha, she gawking up at him in pure awe, Jack dove into the sea to save the woman.

Peering over the side of the ship, Ayisha could vaguely see Jack's silhouette from underneath the light tides of the sea-water. Hugging his jacket closer to her body, she was silently praying that Jack would make it to the woman in time; and if not, for _him_ to at least be okay in the long run. He never ceased to amaze her. Evan after all of their years together.

"Do you think he will reach her in time?" the lanky guard on Ayisha's left questioned, and Ayisha, on instinct, turned to glare at him before turning her attention back onto the water.

A large ripple swept across the surface of the sea. Ayisha's heart skipped a beat, feeling the invisible wave pass through her and sending unpleasant shivers down her spine. The feeling that she felt before they made port on the island crept back up to her senses. Dread. She and Jack **never** should have made port. They should have kept on going regardless of the fact their boat was sinking. They could swim really well. And if they tired - they could float..

"What was that?" the lanky guard questioned, turning to his friend for an answer, but the portly man shook his head in confusion.

Ayisha slowly turned around, the men following her with their eyes, bewilderment clear on their faces. Ayisha gazed up at the sky, a serious expression etched onto her beautiful face.

It was coming.

She didn't know exactly what it was, but whatever it was, it was going to be bad.

The wind changed course; Ayisha's lose hair from her long braid started to fly wildly; the British flag hoisted up onto the mast flapping in a different direction, towards the town. Slowly turning her gaze towards the island, following the direction of the wind, eyes glazed over, Ayisha locked her jaw in place, going into deep thought.

Ayisha was snapped out of her daze when splashing reached her ears, causing her to blink rapidly and shake her head clean of its previous thoughts of trying to figure out what the sudden wave of dread was. Running over to the port-side of the _Dauntless_, the silhouette of Jack surfaced from underneath the water, a woman tossed over his shoulder. Quickly picking up her cloak and hastily throwing it around her back, tying it back on, Ayisha ran down the wooden plank, following behind the two navy guards, and was forced to just peek over the men's shoulders when they blocked her path.

The lanky guard lifted the woman off of Jack's shoulder, laying her on the dock. And even from her distance, Ayisha could tell that the woman was not breathing.

"She's not breathing!" the portly man confirmed Ayisha's thoughts, and pushed aside the woman's wet hair, lightly patting her cheek in a lame attempt to wake the young woman up.

"Move!" Jack shoved aside the portly man. "Ayisha, your dagger."

Ayisha pushed her way through the two guards, and kneeled down next to the unconscious woman, skilfully sliding out the dagger from underneath the sleeve of her tunic and handing it over to Jack. He stuck the tip of the blade at the top of the pink corset the young woman was wearing, and cut down, ripping off the corset soon after. Jack then shoved it into the lanky man's arms.

As the woman woke up, gasping for air, the portly guard looked at Jack with a flustered facial expression, his cheeks tinged red. "Never would've thought of that."

"Clearly you've never been to Singapore," Jack retorted. Ayisha then patted Jack's shoulder with the back of her hand, her eyes focused on the gold medallion lying off to the side of the young woman's neck. When Jack faced her, Ayisha pointed to the medallion, and he followed her line of sight, picking up the medallion. "…where did you get that?" Jack asked the shaken woman. The woman nervously switched her wide-eyes between Ayisha and Jack.

Suddenly a tip of a sword's blade was pointed down to Jack's neck. Ayisha lifted her head, her mouth dropping open in complete surprise. "On your feet," the man holding the hilt of the sword ordered, and Jack and Ayisha had no choice but to comply.

Jack pushed Ayisha behind his back, standing protectively in front of her, and she gripped the sleeve of his tunic, peeking out from behind his broad shoulders. An older man rushed to the young woman's aid, helping her off of the ground and wrapping her body with his coat. At first the old man looked at the two guards, but those guards then pointed to Jack and Ayisha. Ayisha gaped at the two men in astonishment. Those bastards! She hoped that whatever was coming, would kill, or harm, them first.

"Shoot them!" the old man ordered. Ayisha clamped her eyes shut when she heard the sounds of the soldiers' rifles cocking, preparing to fire.

"Father!" the young woman Jack rescued quickly protested and then turned her gaze to the man who still held the tip of the blade of his sword to Jack's neck. "Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"

The commodore switched attention between the young woman and Jack, and then sheathed his sword, Jack pressing his palms together and bowing in thanks to the woman. Ayisha silently sighed in relief, relaxing her tense muscles.

"I believe thanks are in order." The commodore offered out a hand, and Jack hesitated to take it. The commodore abruptly yanked Jack's arm out and snatched open his sleeve, almost ripping off the button. "Had a brush with the East India Trading company, did we, pirate?" sneered the commodore.

"Hang him!" the old man quickly ordered, his tone thick with disgust.

"Keep your guns on him, men. Gillette, fetch some irons," the commodore commanded, and immediately the soldiers shuffled around in response, barrels of rifles pointing in Ayisha and Jack's faces again.

Ayisha drew back in fright. They never had been caught before – she didn't want to get hanged! Jack glanced at Ayisha from over his shoulder and then transferred his gaze to the commodore. "Hold up there, mate. Leave the girl alone, she doesn't have anythin' to do with me."

Ayisha sharply looked at Jack, her face stoic so that only worry showed, her eyes begging him to stop speaking. Just because she didn't want to get hanged didn't mean she didn't want to live to see **Jack** get hanged. Nuh-uh, no way; she would rather be hanged. Ayisha diverted her eyes back to the commodore, who seemed to actually be contemplating Jack's comment as he stared at Ayisha. But then he turned back to Jack. "I don't make deals with pirates, pirate. The girl will be fined for being associated with you." The commodore looked back down at Jack's forearm. "…well, well. Jack Sparrow, isn't it?"

Jack retracted his arm when the commodore threw it down. "_Captain_ Jack Sparrow, if you please, sir." Ayisha moved from behind Jack, and to his side, despite the fact he gave her a disapproving look.

"Well, I don't see your ship, _Captain_," the commodore retorted, glancing around towards the vacant sea.

"I'm in the market as it were. Decided to take some time off for the bonnie lass here." Jack wrapped an arm around Ayisha's waist, Ayisha smiling weakly. Her eyes scanned all of the navy soldiers nervously. "She _hates_ being out at sea for too long." Jack covered the side of his mouth with his free hand, as if telling a secret, causing Ayisha to roll her eyes in exasperation. Whenever something went wrong (for Jack that is), it had to be her fault. That, or she would be an excuse as to why things didn't go according to plan.

"Oh, so she **is** associated with you?" The commodore smirked, catching Jack in mid-lie, causing Jack to snap his mouth shut.

"He said they came to commander one," the lanky guard puffed out his chest in his odd version of courage, interrupting Jack from speaking,

"Told ya he was telling the truth. These are his, sir." The portly guard picked up Jack's effects from the dock, handing them over to the commodore.

Ayisha tried to glare at the two guards, but Jack's form shielded her from sight, again. Did she already mention how much they were bastards?

The commodore passed an amused grin towards Jack and Ayisha before inspecting Jack's effects. First, the commodore picked up Jack's pistol: the only pistol Barbossa left Jack with when he marooned Jack and Ayisha on that tiny island, tossing it from hand to hand. "No additional shots nor powder," the commodore openly commented. He placed the pistol back on top of Jack's hat, picking up _the_ compass (Jack and Ayisha reached out for it, but withdrew their hands, Ayisha biting her bottom lip in caution, hoping that the commodore wouldn't realize what it could actually do). "A compass that doesn't point north." He, too, tossed the compass back onto Jack's hat, reaching over and unsheathing Jack's sword, the metal blade shimmering in the sun light. "And I half expected it to be made out of wood," the commodore quipped. "You are without a doubt the _worst_ pirate I've ever heard of."

Jack raised his hands into the air and gave a dramatic pause, "But you have heard of me." He grinned impishly.

Ayisha's head dipped down at Jack's comment, her forehead plopping against his shoulder blade. Even at the face of possible death, he always had to have the last word.

The commodore glared at Jack and grabbed a hold of Jack's upper-arm, yanking him forward and down the dock. "Check the girl for concealed weapons," the commodore ordered, and almost right away Ayisha was held by both of her arms, by two navy soldiers.

Grunting in protest at feeling the men's hands roaming her body, Ayisha tried to wiggle out of their hold. Hearing Jack's voice she ceased her struggle when she saw that Jack had tried to go to her aid and had been hit in the stomach with the butt end of a rifle. "She's unarmed, sir," the soldier to Ayisha's right declared.

"Commodore, I really must protest!" the young woman again tried to persuade the commodore, glancing at Ayisha, obviously seeing her discomfort.

"Carefully, Lieutenant," the commodore told the man clasping irons on Jack's wrists. "Bring the girl."

Ayisha was dragged down the dock and was clasped in irons, too. Once they let her hands go, they faltered at the heavy weight, half her body hunched over.

"Pirate or not this man saved my life," the young woman stated firmly, standing 'protectively' in front of Jack and the lieutenant who was clamping him in irons. "They both could have hurt me, but they didn't."

The commodore lightly shook his head at the young woman. "One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness."

"Though it seems enough to condemn him," Jack added.

"...Indeed," said the commodore through clenched teeth.

The lieutenant backed away from Jack, done with putting on the irons, and Jack openly sighed. "Finally." He then proceeded to throw the chain of the irons around the young woman's neck, pulling her close to his body - back against chest. The young woman yelped, and the older man, obviously her father, gasped in fright, ordering the soldiers not to shoot when the men in red coats pointed the barrels of their rifles at Jack.

"I knew you'd warm up to me." Jack grinned from over the young woman's shoulder.

"Don't be stupid, Mr. Sparrow," the commodore dryly responded, though worry was clear in his eyes. He raised his hand in the air, and Ayisha found herself being held by navy soldiers again, a rifle pointed straight at her. Ayisha locked eyes with Jack, hers wide and fearful - his filled with second thoughts.

He never really did think things through...

"No, don't **you** be stupid, Commodore," Jack retorted, his face stoic. "I'm a measly pirate, remember? What makes you think I won't kill the lass?" To add emphasis, he tightened the chain around the young woman's neck, causing her to gasp.

"What makes you think I won't do the same? She's to hang for being associated with you anyway." The commodore took Jack's bluff, but from Ayisha's view, she could see the commodore's hands ball into fists behind his back. She looked back at Jack, licking her trembling lips, but passed him a shaky nod to continue with what he was doing.

"But are you willing to test that theory out, Commodore?" Jack questioned seriously, raising an eyebrow.

The commodore remained quiet, fidgeting in his place, glancing at the old man, and then turned his head to the side in the direction of Ayisha. "Release her," he said reluctantly.

The soldier pointing the gun at Ayisha lowered down his rifle, and the men grabbing her released their hold. Rubbing her shoulders because the soldiers had a pretty strong grip, Ayisha gingerly walked towards Jack and stood behind him. "You all right there, darlin'?" Jack whispered, his eyes not straying from the commodore. Ayisha nodded. "Now, Commodore Norrington – my effects, please … and my hat!"

Yes. Never forget the hat. That hat meant more to Jack than anything. It was the first thing he stole from his father. His **_father_**. Ayisha has never really met Jack's father, but from the stories she heard - he seemed like the kind of person you didn't want to steal from.

The commodore glared in obvious hatred towards Jack, but made no move.

"Commodore!" said Jack, and reluctantly Commodore Norrington handed over Jack's effects, personally. Jack then glanced down at the young woman. "Elizabeth. It is Elizabeth isn't it?"

"It's Miss. Swann," the woman growled. Ayisha felt guilty about the young woman's situation. She _was_ only trying to help, after all.

"Miss. Swann, if you'd be so kind. Come, come, dear, we don't have all day," Jack told the young woman, Commodore Norrington placing Jack's effects into her arms. "Now if you'd be very kind."

Jack smiled, and Elizabeth struggled to turn around in his hold, strapping on his sword around his waist, and putting on his hat. Jack grinned devilishly at the commodore, and the commodore turned his attention to the side in obvious jealousy. Ayisha just pursed her lips, thinking that, that very moment wasn't exactly a good time for Jack to be playing his games; though she had grown used to his flirtatious ways. "Easy on the goods there, darlin'."

"You're despicable," Elizabeth sneered into Jack's face.

Jack grinned, unaffected. "Sticks and stones, love. I save your life, you save mine and my lass's, we're square. Ayisha, I think now would be the opportune time for you to run," Jack muttered to Ayisha, pointing the barrel of his pistol underneath Elizabeth's chin.

"What about you?" Ayisha whispered back, not wanting to leave him alone to fend for himself.

"Love, this is me we're talking about. I'll be fine."

Ayisha tried to find comfort in Jack's words and continued to stare at him with a worried expression. Silently sighing to herself, she quickly glanced at the captive Elizabeth, and turned around, running down the dock and towards the sea. Without hesitation, Ayisha dove into the water and started swimming as fast as she could away from her current position.

Bubbles escaping her lips, the salt water beginning to burn her eyes, Ayisha had no choice but to surface for air. Taking in a deep breath and slapping her hair away from her face, the irons around her wrist giving her trouble to stay afloat, Ayisha craned her neck behind her. She was a good distance away from the private dock of the _Dauntless_, but what really made her heart pound in her chest was the continuous sound of gun fire.

"Jack…" she shakily whispered under her breath, fearing for his safety and health. She moved so that she could swim back, but then she could vaguely see an outline of a man flying in the air. Ayisha's eyes followed the silhouette of the flying man with her mouth dropped open, seeing his form then disappear from sight. That man could have only been one person...

Captain Jack Sparrow.

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><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** Jack is a man of very good luck, isn't he? Does he ever really think things through?

OK, now I'm going to do something different - that I have never done before.  
>Review replies!<p>

**i love you always:** I'm sorry that you had to make an account in order to talk to me about my second deletion of this story. But, like I said, I promise not to abandon you ever again. I'm flattered that my story is really one of the only ones you read on this site - it makes me feel all tingly on the inside :3

**AddictedToJohnny:** (By the way, _love_ your name) Again, I'm sorry that you were going to make an account to yell at me. The reason I deleted it, was because I'm a horrible author who should be lashed 20 times, each, by each reader/review that I lost, and am hoping to get back. Though, I highly doubt it now. I'm glad that you noticed the few changes I made! That means you're actually reading my crap! :D

**.S Y N T H E T I Cperfection.:** I nearly gave you a heart attack? I'm sorry Dx It would be a pity to see a girl die so young - and from a heart attack no less! And, no, your review does not count as pressure. lol. I love you, too!

**thing1966:** You read the book, too? Yippie! Man, I'm happy that someone noticed that Ayisha isn't an OC. I wonder if I can get the site to add her to the character list for the PotC category. Do you think they will? Oh, well if they don't. But I'm warning you now - I'm going to do things a bit differently than what you may have read in the book. Like (SPOILER ALERT) I'm not going to kill off Aniba - he's too awesome to die!

**Firestar'sneice:** Thank you! And here I thought my writing sucks. You really think I have Jack in character? Because he is one difficult person to keep in character - he's so erratic! And, to answer your question, if Jack does marry Ayisha, that will make him a prince; but I don't think that it will keep him from getting arrested by the Royal Navy. Hardly anyone knows about Kerma, since they think that the island is a myth. But, we shall see. For all we know, Jack and Ayisha might not even get married! Jack does tend to do stupid things to ruin everything, and since I'm going to be keeping him in character, you should know what I mean. He's a ladies man. Key word - lad_ies_.

**DarkFireAngel00:** I'm glad you quoted my last authors note. Makes me know that you, too, are actually reading my shizz. I'm glad to be back! Whoop!

**Sarala23:** I love your crazieness - so don't stop it! It keeps me entertained :D And, as for a random character (since I already gave you Viola Woods), hm, lets see...how about...I have no clue...man...Well, I'm sure you'll come up with something to cure your boredness o:

**Curlycue2102:** You name reminds me of my most favorite movie: Curly Cue. lol. It's a movie made in the 80's I think. You noticed the Mr. and Mrs. Smith, bit! -parties; I'm happy someone did! I also thought about that when I was typing out the previous chapter. It would be comical to see Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie do what Jack and Ayisha did with the sinking boat :3 And, don't worry about Jack being too out of character, because if you've read my review reply to _Firestar'sneice_, you'll see that Jack has a tendency to be...handsy (as you've already put in your story) lol.

**Echo-ness, Race Forshaw, Told you so:** I LOVE YOU! And you need to come out in your crack-fic about PotC story, already!

Reviews are love ;D

OH! And just because I have fond feelings for Curlcue2102 (no homo ;3) you should go check out her story! It's about Jack, a mermaid, and a ship in a bottle :3  
>It's really good. And, while your at it, you should read her Sherlock Holmes story (for all you Sherlock fans. Robert Downey Jr. -insert fan girl squeal here;!)<p> 


	3. Thee Young William

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin_ _

**Scene Three:**  
><em>Thee Young William<em>

* * *

><p>Wadding onto the sandy shore, her slippers making a distinct <em>squish-<em>ing noise with every step, Ayisha was winded. She had to swim an indeterminable distance to get away from the commodore and his men at the dock. Her wet clothes stuck to her petite frame, her cloak feeling as if it were 10 pounds heavier than normal from all the water it soaked up; and to add to her despair, the irons still clasped around her wrists rubbed against her skin, making them raw.

Collapsing onto her hands and knees Ayisha tried to catch her breath. Her arms and legs burnt in exhaustion, wanting to do nothing more than to rest for the next week or so (give or take a few days). Forcing her tired body back onto its feet she staggered up the beach and towards the town, wrapping her cloak around her body and lifting the hood over her head. She had to find Jack. She knew that he would have somehow narrowly escaped from the commodore because of their past experience of running away. And she had to find him fast so that they could get the hell out of wherever they are (somewhere in Jamaica the last time she asked Jack).

Luckily, she blended in with most of the townsfolk because of her cloak; though she hoped that no one would notice the trail of water dripping off from her body. And still, Ayisha cautiously avoided going anywhere more than a few feet from anyone wearing red. Keeping her shackled wrists hidden underneath her cloak, as not to rouse any suspicion from passers-by, she also kept her head tilted down towards the ground so that no one would be able to have a clear view of her face.

If she were a pirate on the run, where would she go? Oh, wait – she _was_ a pirate on the run. Damn. Finding Jack on this God-forsaken island would be harder than she thought. What if she didn't fine him in time? What if she, or he, got caught? What would she do?

Panic bubbled deep within Ayisha's stomach but she tried not to show it; though it was a failed attempt because she caught her breath beginning to get heavier and heavier, mere seconds away from a full blown panic attack. Her vision blurred, she trying to blink and shake her head to steady it, but it became so bad that she had to stop in her stroll through town to try and calm herself. She couldn't let something like this get to her. She was stronger than that! And it seems that she was just in time, too, because once she stopped - her body being hidden behind a rather large woman looking through various vegetables on a wooden stand - a group of navy soldiers jogged past her, and down some shallow stone steps. Body stiffening from her sheer luck, Ayisha tried to stay as still as possible until the navy soldiers were out of her view.

It seemed that Jack's luck was beginning to rub off on her. Thank Apedemak. [1]

A hand grabbed a hold of the bottom of her cloak and gave such a hard tug that Ayisha nearly lost her footing, her hood falling back and revealing her entire head. She gawked down at the arm sticking out from underneath the vegetable stand, seeing the many familiar golden rings the hand doted. Jack crawled out from underneath the stand and pressed a finger against his lips, signalling for her to remain quiet. Bending down to his level, Ayisha nodded in conformation and licked her dry, chapped lips. Glancing back in the direction the navy soldiers went, Ayisha then took hold of Jack's hand, pulled him out from underneath the vegetable stand, and led him down the stone steps. It was logical to go in the direction where they soldiers already checked, right? But Jack suddenly pulled her into a corner, behind the wax figure of a blacksmith, and both of them watched as more navy soldiers jogged past them

...Or maybe not...

Jack was first to poke his head out, sliding the sword out of the wax man's hand, and then slowly stepped out from their hiding place.

"Ayisha, I think ye were right in not wanting to make port," Jack muttered, sheathing the sword. Ayisha rolled her eyes and followed Jack into the blacksmith's shop. "So how about we get out of these irons, commandeer a decent ship – any ship – and we'll make our way to the next island to get a better boa– ship before sailing to Tortuga." Jack took off his hat, resting it on one of the many tools in the blacksmith shop, and slid a hammer out from a wooden shelf. "Love, you need to start calling ships, ships. You're beginning to make me confused."

Ayisha shrugged her shoulders. "I really see no difference between a boat and a ship – they both float."

Jack passed her a raised eyebrow from over his shoulder before turning around and stopping in his tracks at the sound of something clanking. Coming up from behind Jack, Ayisha saw a portly man sleeping on top of a wooden barrel, leaning against the stone wall. Creeping over to the sleeping man, Jack leaned in closer while Ayisha decided to keep her distance once the stench of sweat mixed with alcohol, and some sort of other stench reached her nose (smelling oddly similar to urine). Jack then lightly tapped the man's chest.

When the man faltered in his sleep, a snort leaving his nose, Ayisha pulled Jack back. "Are you trying to get us caught?" she whispered harshly.

"If he was going to wake up, he would have done so by now," Jack retorted, turning back to face the man and belting out a 'Whoa!' to see if the man would awake. But, to Ayisha's relief (and mild heart-attack), the man did not. Jack gave her an I-told-you-so grin, and she pursed her lips in response. Her prayers to the gods, to protect Jack, really must have been working, because it was a miracle Jack was even alive to this day after all the things he'd been through. "All right, you're up first, love."

Ayisha spread her hands apart as far as they could go and set the chain connecting the irons on top of a metal block, and Jack began striking at the chain with the hammer, but it didn't seem to be working no matter how hard he tried. This seemed to irk Jack, because he then tried to strike at his own chains but came up with the same result – they wouldn't break. Tugging at his chains, his arms gesticulating wildly in the air, Ayisha just couldn't help but snicker in amusement, causing him to glare at her, immediately shutting her up.

"If you're so smart, what do you suppose we do to get these off?" asked Jack.

Not bothered by his semi-crude comment, since it was one of Jack's ways to relive his frustrations, Ayisha looked around the shop, inspecting every detail. There had to be something in there that would remove the irons, it _was_ the place in which they were most likely made to begin with. Her eyes caught sight of two wooden cogs that were above the donkey; her eyes then squinted in thought and then brightened once an idea popped into her head. All Ayisha had to do was point at the two wooden wheels, and Jack knew what she was thinking,

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around," he smirked, showing a few of his golden teeth, and Ayisha shook her head. Yeah, **that** was the reason he kept her around.

At first Jack tried to move the donkey on his own: patting it, pushing it, talking to it, but the animal wouldn't budge. Ayisha grew tired of making no progress and from the corner of her eye she spotted the fire still burning in the fireplace. Swaggering over, she picked up a metal rod, the tip a bright orange from the intense heat, and walked over to Jack, tapping him on the shoulder.

Jack faced her, and Ayisha held out the rod in a gloating manner, and Jack took it from her hands staring at the blazing tip in thought, his eyes straying over to the unmoving donkey. "Ayisha, remind me to buy ye something pretty when we get out of here." Jack grinned, pressing the burning end of the rod to the donkey's behind.

Ayisha smiled; Jack never **stole** anything for her – he bought. He told her that he didn't want to ruin her 'innocence' of not having done a bad deed in her entire life by him giving her something that once belonged to someone else. He wanted it to be hers and only hers. So Ayisha looked past the fact that he bought her something with stolen money.

The donkey wailed to life and began moving, the wheels above it spinning into motion. Jack and Ayisha strapped the chains around one of the gears and once the two wooden wheels connected, the links snapped off. Free of their bindings, Jack turned to Ayisha, his mouth open to say something, but was interrupted once the sound of the door opening reached their ears. Sharply facing the direction of the front entrance they saw a young man enter and close the door behind him. Jack grabbed Ayisha's hand and led her behind a stack of sacks, both crouching low to remain unseen.

Ayisha saw the young man stop the donkey, lightly petting its nose, and Ayisha crept back further into the shadows. Tripping over something, her arms flying around to try and grab something to stop her from falling; Jack was still paying attention to the young man; and Ayisha's stomach dropped at the feeling of falling.

A sharp pain to the back of her head made her world black.

– **WILL –**

Wipping the sand clean from his face with a wet rag Will sighed and took a moment to listen to the absolute silence in the workshop. Mr. Brown, after 'assisting' in stopping the pirate from escaping, left home to gloat about what he did to his wife. Anger boiled deep within Will as he threw the wet rag back into the bucket of water.

Mr. Brown always took the praise for Will's work, not even once thanking Will for all he had done for him since he was left under the blacksmiths care when he was a child. Though Will was grateful for what Governor Swann did for him, for he was now able to stay within reach of Elizabeth.

Will sighed again – Elizabeth, the most beautiful and amazing woman he had ever laid eyes upon. He knew that she would forever hold his heart when he first laid eyes upon her as a child when he woke up from nearly drowning in the sea while on search for his father. All they did was exchange names, yet while in between the state of consciousness and unconsciousness, he felt her soft fingers brush against his skin.

Though, he also knew that he would never be with her. She was of noble blood, and he … he was a blacksmith's apprentice (even though **he** was the one to do all of the work while Mr. Brown drank himself to sleep). How in God's name, did Mr. Brown work _before_ he came along?

Dipping his hands into the bucket of water once last time, and then flicking the water off of his fingers, Will decided to do some more work before going to bed. Every time he thought of Elizabeth, the only way to get her off of his mind was to work, though it was useless because he also knew that his dreams would be plagued with images of Elizabeth.

A soft groan made Will's body go rigid. His fingers wrapped around the hilt of another one of his swords and he slowly followed the direction in which the noise came from. Behind the stack of sand bags Will's eyes nearly bulged out of his head when he caught site of a woman lying unconscious on the ground.

_She must be the pirate's accomplice_, he thought, remembering the announcement one of the navy soldiers made to the townsfolk; to be cautious of a rouge pirate and his accomplice. Will didn't realize that the accomplice was a _woman_. As Will crept closer to the woman and got a better look, he thought that she didn't look dangerous – but he had long since learnt that looks could be deceiving.

Kneeling down next to the woman's unconscious form Will pushed some loose strands of hair away from her face. She was still breathing. Licking his lips, wondering if he should report his find to the commodore, another soft groan coming from the woman made Will think otherwise. If he turned her in he knew what was in store for her, and he grimaced at the thought of a woman being hanged.

Sliding his hands and arms underneath the woman's knees and back Will lifted her into his arms (noting that she was damp) and moved her over to his bed that was in the back corner of the shop. The woman shivered in her sleep and Will touched her forehead, her skin cool against his warm hands. Unlacing the damp cloak, sliding it off from underneath her, trying to fight down the rush of blood from going to his face and neck at the sight of the woman's clothes sticking to her frame, Will squinted when he saw the irons still clasped to her wrists.

The chain link was broken but the wrists shackles remained. Going over to where he kept most of his tools Will took a ring of keys that he made for said irons and rushed back to the woman, removing the broken shackles. He then proceeded to cover her shivering body with one of his thickest blankets, giving her one last look before leaving her to rest.

He had no idea what he was doing, or why he was doing it.

– **AYISHA –**

_They were almost there – almost to her brother, she can feel it. Ayisha could finally save him so that they may return home, and she couldn't keep the beaming smile from spreading across her face, and she then turned that said smile to the man standing next to her._

_Jack Sparrow. _Captain_ Jack Sparrow. He was handsomely well groomed: his dark-brown hair held back by a thick, black ribbon; his face clean shaven, skin a beautiful milky-white, and dressed in the standard sailor uniform that the East India Trading Company issued out to their captains. Jack Sparrow was the most beautiful pale-faced man Ayisha had ever laid eyes on since being taken from the village nearest her home. _

_Jack smiled back at Ayisha, his hands neatly cupped behind his back. Grateful for what he was doing, helping her save her brother, Ayisha promised that she would show him the location of her island, Kerma. _

"_I appreciate what you are doing for my brother and I, Captain." Ayisha shyly looked away from Jack's chocolate brown eyes and stared back out to the sea. _

"_Please, call me Jack." Jack stepped a bit closer to Ayisha, and she felt her face heat up._

_Bashfully staring up at Jack, Ayisha gave him a small smile. "I appreciate what you are doing for my brother and I … Jack," she rephrased. "My adventures with you on-board your ship have been quite interesting. You have taught me much about the sea and I am grateful; it is quite beautiful. I have never seen what you have showed me, before. I have much to learn about how you live in this vast world." _

"_It is a pleasure to be teaching you, Ayisha."_

_Ayisha's heart fluttered at the sound of her name leaving Jack's lips and she gazed into his beautiful eyes, again. _

_At that time she didn't know that he was told to seduce her into telling him where the location of her home was, and by none other than her former owner, too: Cutler Beckett._

Squeezing her eyes tighter before opening them, Ayisha could feel the pounding ache in her head. Seeing a wooden ceiling, she deduced that she was probably still in the blacksmith's workshop. A clanking of tools reached her ears and she slowly turned herself over on the soft bed – wait, bed? Lifting her body up with her hands, she looked down at the wool blanket covering the lower half of her body and then continued to look at her surroundings.

The first thing that came to her mind was Jack. Where was he? Pushing the thick blanket off of her body, Ayisha noticed that her wrists were no longer bound by the broken shackles, and that she was no longer wearing her cloak.

Standing up, and off of the bed, she slowly walked away from the dark corner of the shop and saw the young man she recognized entering the shop while she and Jack were hiding. He was hammering something, his back facing her. Licking her lips, Ayisha's eyes then strayed over to the back exit of the shop, thinking that, that was the perfect time to escape – while he was busy.

Ayisha first collected her cloak in her arms and then began silently creeping over to the back door. She had to find Jack, again. Maybe he got away from the young man, but then again, Jack wouldn't leave her behind if he didn't really have a good reason. If he got away from the man he would have woken her – maybe he was captured. Her face fell. How was she going to get him out of a cell without getting caught herself?

What Ayisha didn't notice was that the hammering stopped and footsteps had come up from behind her still body, her dazed eyes still on the back door. When a deep, obviously male voice spoke, she jumped and spun around to face the young man,

"Are you all right?" He eyed her, concern clear in his dark-colored eyes.

Ayisha remained silent, a slight pout on her lips as she backed away from the man. She didn't talk to anyone besides Jack – she didn't like it when they would stare at her because of her accent. She liked it better when they thought that she was a mute of some sort. Ayisha found herself with her head tilted down and continued to stare at the young man with curiosity. Why hadn't he turned her in to the commodore?

"Can you– can you speak?" the young man questioned, taking hesitant steps towards Ayisha. She backed away. He stopped and raised his hands in the air signalling that he wasn't going to harm her. "My name is Will Turner, what is yours?"

Ayisha kept her mouth shut, her eyes not straying from the young man – Will's – eyes. She was thinking of possible ways to render him unconscious so that she might be able to run away to find Jack. It was only a matter of time before he would turn her over to the commodore, and she didn't want to hang around long enough for that to happen.

"I won't turn you in, if that's what you're thinking." Will took the words from Ayisha's mouth … well, mind. "I wouldn't want to see a woman hanged even if you are a pirate. Are you a pirate?"

Ayisha shook her head.

"Then why were you with that pirate?"

Ayisha's eyes widened; he knew where Jack was! Lips parting open and closed, scared of speaking, her words sounded meek and pathetic, "Do– do you know where Jack is?"

Will's face twisted into a confused expression. "Jack?" he asked, and Ayisha nodded. "The pirate? Is that his name? Jack?"

Ayisha nodded, eyes scanning for a possible weapon to defend herself with just in case if the young man – Will, as she kept reminding herself – changed his mind and tried to turn her in to the commodore. She highly doubted that he would help her, and let her go. Anyway if her thoughts were correct and Jack was captured.

"He was captured; I believe he is with the other pirates down at the fort, ready to be sent to the gallows." Will seemed to know what Ayisha was planning and kept moving so that he was always in front of her.

A thick aura filled the air, Ayisha straightening her posture, ignoring the bewildered look on Will's face as she stared in the direction of the main entrance of the shop. He followed her line of sight, glancing back at her in puzzlement, and hesitated in leaving her alone to check on what she was staring at. Pushing open the wooden shutter of the window, she watched as he poked his head out and slowly retreated back into the shop.

She came up from behind him and took a look out of the window herself, the fog covering most of her view. The feeling of dread filled her body once more – the reason she didn't want to make port here. If only she knew what was going to come then she would have told Jack; but alas, she could not see the future, only sense it.

"I've never seen the weather this bleak before," Will commented quietly from Ayisha's side, and she spared him a glance, knowing that he just unintentionally confirmed her dreaded feeling of something bad going to happen.

She had to find Jack.

The booming sound of cannons firing upon the island caused Ayisha's eyes to double in size. They sounded familiar...

Oh no...

It was the_ Pearl_.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** [1] Apedemak, the Kermanian's main God.

As you probably noticed, I just put that this story will be a bit AU from the book. That is because I made the first few chapters to this story _before_ the book even came out. I based it loosely off the excerpts from the book that A.C. Crispin had posted on her site, and what I read off the Pirates Wiki Page. The AU part will be mostly about Ayisha's culture. I put a little of 'The Mummy' in it - since Kermanian's are real people who left Egypt because Apedemak told them to.

**DarkFireAngel00:** lol. Sometimes? Tsk. Tsk.

**.S Y N T H E T I Cperfection.:** I have _no_ clue how Jack really got the hat. When I tried to find out, nothing came up. So, I improvised ;) And, I'm glad you like the new version!

**AddictedToJohnny:** Johnny is, isn't he? AND LMAO! I, too, would turn into a home wrecker if it were for Johnny! I don't know if I'll put a flashback on how Jack stole the hat from Teague. And, I think he did take the hat before he met Ayisha. Who knows, I might do a flashback in a later chapter o:

**Why Fireflies Flash:** I won't delete it, I promise. And, the book is good, isn't it?

**curlycue2102:** I think I got the title of that movie wrong. I think it's 'Curly Sue'...man, it's been awhile since I've seen it. lol. Whoosh, I'm glad. I thought that Jack would have been a bit OOC because he's 'with' Ayisha - you know what I mean?

**Firestar'sneice:** Yes, Ayisha doesn't like to talk much, as I've explained in this chapter. She has been sheltered her whole life in an island no one can fine .-. Jack's a dork, but we love him that way :3

**..:** You're the second girl that nearly died after the deletion of this story. I'm sorry!

**The Red Crayon, i love you always:** Glad you love it!

**Sarala23, Erika Black, Echo-ness:** Love you :3 No homo xD

And, guys, send the site a e-mail, asking if they can add Ayisha, and all of your other favorite characters from the book, to the character listing! I already did, but if a few of you back me up, they might do it :D  
>And for those who haven't read the book, be sure to! It's really good.<p> 


	4. Sorry Miss Swann, Me First

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin_ _

**Scene Four:**  
><em>Sorry Miss Swann, Me First<em>

* * *

><p>Chaos. Utter chaos. Cannon blasts were coming from the direction of the docks, and townsfolk were running about the streets in attempts to find some sort of safe shelter. Ayisha continued to watch the streets in high alert from the open window of the blacksmith's shop, her mind running a million miles per minute of trying to formulate a plan to successfully rescue Jack and then get off of the island without being seen, or recognized, by any of the pirates sure to make port. Hearing clanking from behind her Ayisha turned around and saw that Will was strapping on various weapons to his person,<p>

"Stay here and then lock the door behind me." He ordered, griping the handle of a sword before marching to the front entrance of the shop. "You should be safe here."

Ayisha watched as Will left the workshop. Did he seriously expect her to listen to him? A complete and total stranger? Ayisha learnt the hard way to trust no one besides Jack. Everyone she thought she could trust, knew who she was when she spoke her real name (Amenirdis) and immediately tried to force her to take them to her people's fortune. Pft. And she thought that others thought that she, her people, and Kerma were supposed to be a myth; but, yet, everyone seemed to know of her 'myth'. Especially pirates.

Ayisha rolled her eyes at Will's order, and began searching the workshop for weapons she could use, herself. There wasn't much besides swords, and Ayisha preferred smaller weapons that she could conceal within her clothes; but she decided that it wasn't the time to be picky, so she took the first two swords nearest her. Leaving her cloak at the shop, because it would only get in her way if she had to defend herself, Ayisha left the safety of the blacksmith workshop and quickly serpentine into the chaotic streets. Crouching, staying along side of the walls of the other shops and homes, Ayisha crept deeper into the town and in the direction of the fort. Hopefully all of the navy soldiers would be busy fighting off the _Pearl_ and there wouldn't be any guards guarding the holding cells where Jack would, again, _hopefully_ be.

Screams of terror filled the night air and Ayisha inwardly cringed at the terror the crew of the _Pearl_ were bringing to the innocent townsfolk of Port Royal. She knew, deep down, that she should help them as much as she could, but time was not on her side. Remaining low, and hidden, Ayisha crouched behind an abandoned stand, and peeked over the tall wooden box, licking her dry lips in anticipation. The fort was still a ways away - the stone walls just peeking from behind the shops of the town - and Ayisha knew that she wouldn't make it there without meeting a 'few' complications.

Stepping back, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, mentally and physically preparing herself, Ayisha then sprang up from behind the wooden stand and attacked the first pirate she laid eyes on. Thankfully she didn't think that the pirate recognized her - nor did she for the matter. Perhaps Barbossa recruited new crew members after he left her and Jack on that tiny speck of land - and the man, of course, retaliated. Swinging his sword from above, coming down towards her head, but Ayisha skillfully blocked it by lifting her arms in the air, the blades of the swords crossing in an 'x' position above her head. The man's sword got caught between her blades, and then Ayisha brought her left knee up in the air, thrusting her leg out and kicking the pirate in the gut. The man hunched over in pain, his arms cradling his stomach, and Ayisha kicked her leg up again, this time her foot connecting with the pirate's face causing him to fall back. And just as _that_ pirate fell to the ground, another, surprised Ayisha from behind, his arm wrapping around her neck - squeezing her windpipe with all of his might. Ayisha struggled against the pirates hold, but he had the upper hand because her back was facing him and her arms were pinned behind her back, by the pirate's other arm. Her visioned blurred, the pirate laughed, and just as Ayisha thought that she was finally going to slip into a state of unconsciousness, she was freed. Falling to her knees, gasping for air, Ayisha turned around to see who had saved her, but was completely shocked when it was the young Miss. Swann.

Elizabeth dropped the wooden beam she was holding, staring down at the motionless pirate with her mouth agape. Ayisha was about to ask why Elizabeth was out in the streets, when a familiar pirate that Ayisha _did_ recognize grabbed one side of Elizabeth's arm, roughly.

Ragetti.

One of the pirates that Ayisha tolerated when she was on the _Black Pearl_ many years ago. He was just an uneducated young man who was doing as he was told, by a man that he feared: Hector Barbossa. And Ayisha didn't blame the man. Hector Barbossa was one to be feared. Ragetti rubbed his wooden eye, blinking in Ayisha's direction. And Ayisha, in a state of panic, roughly pushed back Ragetti, grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled the noblewoman in direction towards her original target: the fort.

"Why are you helping me?" Elizabeth had to shout over the loud screams of the people and pirates they were passing by.

Ayisha, not really in a talking mood, simply glanced over her shoulder and gave Elizabeth the look that read: 'Are you seriously asking me that question?'. Ayisha wasn't heartless!

A random force knocked Ayisha to the ground, forcing her hold on Elizabeth's hand to be let go; and before Ayisha had the chance to rise to her knees, she heard a scream. A feminine scream. Finally scrambling to her feet Ayisha's mouth dropped open when she saw that now both Ragetti _and_ Pintel, had a hold of Elizabeth.

"Help!" Elizabeth exclaimed to Ayisha, and Ragetti, again, rubbed his good eye in Ayisha's direction. And much to Ayisha's displeasure and guilt, before Ragetti had the chance to better the vision of his good eye, Ayisha darted away from him, Pintel and the young Miss. Swann. She knew that she should have helped Elizabeth, but Ayisha couldn't afford to be recognized by any pirate from the _Black Pearl_. If one of them had told Barbossa that she has been spotted, then Barbossa would stop at nothing until he had his grubby hands on her.

_Sorry, Miss Swann_, Ayisha thought, glancing over her shoulder one last time, with guilt. Most likely, if Barbossa kept to the code -which Ayisha knew he would- Elizabeth wouldn't be harmed...much. He would probably just hold Elizabeth for ransom.

Without missing a beat Ayisha continued forward, towards the fort, only stopping when she could no longer ignore the need to help some townsfolk that she passed, by when needed. Chest heaving, breath ragged, clothes sticking uncomfortably to her sweaty body, Ayisha made it to the fort and mentally cursed when she didn't know where to find the holding cells. Determining that she had to check the rooms of the fort one by one Ayisha inwardly groaned at the long task she had ahead of her, but she couldn't give up. Jack wouldn't give up if it were she in his position.

Kicking down the first few doors and finding nothing, Ayisha then kicked another locked door and gasped, leaping back just in time to narrowly evade a candlestick swinging towards her from the side of the door. Grabbing the candlestick, yanking as hard as she could, the man that she recognized as the governor that ordered her and Jack to be hanged toppled forward, nearly falling. With the candlestick still in hand Ayisha squinted as the governor fearfully backed away from her with his hands held in front of him in a defensive manner, "P-please don't kill me," he stammered, and Ayisha's face scrunched up in confusion. Did he actually think that she was going to kill him?

Her face then brightened at the idea popping into her head. _**He**_ could tell her where the holding cells were.

Tossing the candlestick to the side Ayisha strutted towards the cowering governor, hoping that her facial expression of trying to be intimidating was convincing. Swiftly lifting her arm in the air, outstretched fully, she pointed the tip of the blade of one of the swords in the governor's direction. Ayisha asked, tone dark, "Where are the holding cells?"

The man fainted, an almost feminine moan escaping his lips as he fell to the floor, his powdered wig falling off from his head, showing his real white, balding hair.

Gaping down at the governor's unconscious body in disbelief, Ayisha's shoulders slumped in defeat. The first time she actually tried to act like a pirate and the man faints before she could get what she wanted out of him! Maybe she was right in leaving all the pirate acts to Jack.

"Governor Swann!"

Sharply turning around Ayisha gazed at the two navy soldiers with wide eyes. Her situation definitely looked bad. The navy soldiers pointed the barrels of their rifles at Ayisha, barking the order for her to drop her weapons. Ayisha had no choice but to comply. Her hands raised up in the air and let the swords, she borrowed from Will's shop, fall to the floor with a 'clang.'

"Step away from the governor. Slowly, now."

Obeying the soldier's instructions Ayisha, with her hands still in the air, walked forward and towards the men, and away from the unconscious body of Governor Swann. As soon as she was right in front of the rifle barrels, one of the navy soldiers walked around her and towards the governor's body, and Ayisha, with such agility, leaped into action by grabbing the wrist of the pass-bying solider, twisting his arm around his back and using him as a shield from the other navy soldier. Wrapping her free arm around the soldier's neck, the man having to lean down because of his tall height, Ayisha squeezed her hold around his windpipe, "Drop your weapon," she directed towards the second soldier.

"Hold your ground, Mr. Porter."

Ayisha tried not to look too surprised by the commodore's appearance. It was just _her_ rotten luck.

...So much for Jack's luck rubbing off of on her...

But shouldn't the commodore still be holding off the _Pearl_?

Straining her ears Ayisha could no longer hear the shouts or screams of the pirate attack. The raid had stopped. What bloody timing.

"Now let go of my man will you? You have nowhere else to go. I'm afraid your _friends_ weren't successful in rescuing you," said Commodore Norrington. Ayisha remained in eye contact with the commodore, weighing the pros and cons of letting the man go, or still keeping her hold on him and trying to escape. Silently sighing in defeat Ayisha let the solider go and stepped away, letting more men grab ahold of her. Commodore Norrington headed over to the governor and bent down, checking his pulse. "He's fine, just unconscious, take him to the infirmary and inform me when he awakes. And I want a band of you to go check on the wellbeing of Miss Swann."

Ayisha bit the inside of her cheek, knowing what the soldiers would find when they went to look for Elizabeth. Nothing. The commodore then walked over to Ayisha and peered down at her. "And take the girl to the holding cells. I'm sure she misses Mr. Sparrow, and him vice versa."

Ayisha didn't struggle as the soldiers began dragging her out of the room. Well, at least she was going to the place that she was trying to find. Tripping down the stairs, the tight grips on her upper-arms from the two soldiers being the only reason she hasn't fallen, Ayisha's eyes brightened when she saw Jack casually lying on the ground as her and the men entered.

"The others have escaped!" The soldier on Ayisha's left said, and Ayisha gazed in puzzlement at the cell next to Jack's, a gaping hole on the wall leading out to the shore. "Lock her in, I'll go inform the commodore."

At the word 'her' Jack's head piped up from the ground. He lifted his hat from over his eyes and quickly scrambled to his feet when he laid eyes on Ayisha.

"Where's Artie?" the solider on Ayisha's right questioned, letting go of Ayisha. "Artie? Come here boy." he whistled, but nothing came. Ayisha was confused. Who was Artie?

"Oh, he probably ran off when that hole was blasted in the wall. Just use the spare key underneath the bench," the soldier who still had a hold of Ayisha, said, pointing to a rotting bench resting against the wall, in front of Jack's cell. "We'll look for him later."

The first soldier seemed reluctant to blow off looking for whoever Artie was, but, nonetheless, listened to the his companion solider. Getting down on his knees, reaching underneath the bench, Ayisha heard a jingle, and then the solider rose back to his feet with a ring of keys. He unlocked the cell with the soldier still holding Ayisha pushed her in. Re-locking the cell door, both of the soldiers walked off with the keys still in hand.

"Are ye all right, Darlin'?" Jack asked, once the coast was clear, checking Ayisha for any injuries, causing her to roll her eyes when he repeatedly circled around her. "Where have you been?" He then exclaimed, standing in front of her with his hands on his hips. "The first thing on me mind when I woke up in this blasted cell: was where you were!"

Ayisha blinked in bewilderment as Jack switched from pirate talk to civilized talk, which he tended to do when he was frustrated, and began fiddling with her fingers. "The blacksmith took care of me," she meekly answered.

"The blacksmi– the _boy_?" Jack gawked, throwing his hands in the air. "The reason we're stuck here?"

Ayisha refrained from telling Jack that the only reason she got caught was because she came to rescue him; not that Will turned her in to the commodore,

"How are we going to escape?" she asked, hoping to change the subject, and Jack tilted his hat over his eyes.

"I don't know, the keys ran off," he answered and then mumbled, "blasted dog."

_Dog?_ Ayisha furrowed her eyebrows; she didn't remember seeing a dog. The only pair of keys she saw was with the soldier that put her in the cell. Maybe that's who Artie was. The dog.

Jack marched over to the side of the cell, to the metal bars connecting the two separate cells, and stuck his arm through the square holes. When he retracted a bone was in his hand. Confused, Ayisha watched Jack scrape the bone back and forth between the edges of the metal bars, pieces of the bone chipping off.

Leaving Jack be Ayisha walked over to the bared window and wrapped her fingers around the bars so that she could stand on her toes and stare out. The air was clear, the fog gone, and the sun was beginning to rise, morning just around the corner. Trying to see as far as she could Ayisha could spot no signs of the _Black_ _Pearl_, anymore. Why did it come to Port Royal? Was it just a coincidence that she and Jack were there just as it raided? Or did Barbossa know that they were there, which was why he came? Maybe Ayisha's earlier thought was correct, and the _Pearl_ only came for Elizabeth?

Ayisha frowned in fear at the thought of Barbossa, and tried to shake the memories of him from her mind. He had tried to pursue a relationship with her when Jack was still captain of the _Black Pearl_, and he, his first-mate. He was kind (sometimes) and was the second other man in the crew (besides Bootstrap, bless his soul) that didn't badger Jack to get rid of her because of the fact that she was a woman. But no matter how many times Ayisha told him that she didn't have those kind of feelings for him, Barbossa continued to be persistent, which scared her because he often did outrageous things to get her attention (mostly involving getting himself hurt so that she could aid him to health); and she wasn't going to deny the fact that she thought that she was a part of the reason he (Barbossa) mutinied Jack. Jack of course denies that reason and blames it squarely on himself.

But if only Jack made his and her's relationship...known...then Barbossa would have known that she was the captain's woman - no one else's. And the whole thing could have been prevented. But, noo, Jack said that he couldn't afford to have anyone know of his 'weaknesses', so that they can be used against him.

A snap and a string of curses flowing from Jack's mouth caused Ayisha to tare her attention from the sea, and over to him. He was attempting to pick the lock of the cell with the bone, and Ayisha just sighed and slid down onto the hard, hay covered floor. To think, after all they've been through, all the trouble they escaped from in the past - and now they were going to die. There was no way they could get out of the cell and commandeer a ship without being caught for a third time.

Jack suddenly withdrew away from his activity and pretended to casually lie on the ground, Ayisha bewildered by his action. Footsteps echoed from the stairs, and Ayisha practically beamed at the sight of Will and scrambled to her feet to rush to the gate of the cell, earning a 'look' from Jack,

"You?" Will questioned staring at Ayisha in shock. "I thought I told you to stay in the workshop where it was safe."

"He told you to what-what, in the what-what?" Jack propped himself up onto the palms of his hands, switching a jealous gaze between Ayisha and Will.

"You may call me Ayisha." Ayisha nodded with a small smile, hoping that Will will continue to have a good heart and release both her and Jack. She sensed nothing but good things from him now, and was wondering why she hadn't sensed it beforehand.

Will broke his gaze with Ayisha, shook his head, and turned his gaze to Jack. "You, Sparrow. You are familiar with the ship the _Black Pearl_?"

"I've heard of it," Jack mused, lying back down and placing his hands behind his head.

"Where does it make berth?" Will questioned eagerly, his grip on the cell's bars visibly tightening.

"Where does it make berth? Have you not heard the stories?" Jack asked, propping himself back up, and Will stayed silent meaning no, no he had not heard the stories of the _Black Pearl_. Jack laid back down, and Ayisha tried not to purse her lips at the way Jack was reacting to the whole situation. Sure she understood that he was trying to appear calm and collected, as _The_ Jack Sparrow should be, but now was hardly the time to act like nothing was out of the ordinary. Ayisha was sure that the commodore was planning on hanging them as soon as possible,

"Captain Barbossa and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is," Jack explained.

Will began to pace in front of the cell, and Ayisha inspected him from behind the cell bars, wondering why he came down to speak to Jack about the _Pearl_. "The ship's real enough. Therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?"

"Why are you trying to find the _Pearl_?" Ayisha questioned, furrowing her eyebrows.

Will licked his lips, releasing a shaky breath before answering, "They took Miss. Swann."

_The governor's daughter?_ Ayisha thought. _He knows of her?_ The thought just made Ayisha feel even more guilty about leaving Elizabeth behind for her own selfish reasons.

"Oh, so it is that you've found a girl!" Jack chirped, confusing Ayisha further. He and Will must have had some sort of conversation while she was unconscious. "I see. Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."

Ayisha scowled at Jack.

"I can get you out of here," Will immediately replied, and Ayisha's eye's brightened as she switched her gaze from Jack, to Will. She knew he could get them out of the blasted cell! "I helped build these cells when I was a child. These are half pin-barrel hinges." He picked up a wooden bench that the solders took the keys from, and placed it underneath the cell door. "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free."

"What's your name?" asked Jack.

Will looked between Ayisha and Jack. "Will Turner," he answered.

"That will be short for William, I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt, named for your father, eh?" When Jack's eyes widened for a brief moment at the name of Will, and Ayisha wondered what was going on in the mind of Jack Sparrow. And then it hit her. Will Turner...William Turner... Bootstrap! Oh, no, no, no, no, Jack couldn't do it, she wouldn't let him do it - Will had good intentions,

"Jack-" Ayisha tried to protest.

"Quiet, love," Jack interrupted, rising to his feet. "I'm doing this for the both of us." With that said Ayisha kept her mouth shut and tried not to stare into Will's eyes, sure that he was confused by her and Jack's unspoken conversation. "Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring me and my lass from this cell I swear on pain of death I shall take you to the _Black Pearl_ and your bonny lass."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** Whoosh. And so the adventure really begins, eh?

**Why Fireflies Flash:** The book is long! Man, I'm reading it for the second time - for notes I may have missed, and, man, I'm not even half-way through! The first time I read it, it took me like almost a month to read it. And I only read right before I go to bed, too. Woot! Thank you! Hopefully we'll see all of our favorite characters names in the list in a few days. Maybe weeks. But, eh, as long as they get there. Thank you for the help!

**AddictedToJohnny:** No. I don't think Johnny Depp has _ever_ made a bad movie. Well, from the ones I've seen.

**Firestar'sneice:** Well, another reason I titled this story 'The Price of Freedom' was because in OST, Jack gave Gibbs his compass, and said 'To freedom', (something along those lines) and the compass led Gibbs to the _Black Pearl_. Well, to where the _Pearl_ was.

**CurlyCue2102: **Will is such a gentleman. Man. I wish I could find a guy like that for me. But, pft. They don't exist anymore. We, the women, killed them all. lol.

**.S Y N T H E T I Cperfection.:** I just said that! lol. I totally agree with you.

Reviews are like crack!  
>...addictive...<br>:3


	5. Addicted To Captain Jack Sparrow

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin_ _

**Scene Five:**  
><em>There's Something Addictive About Captain Jack Sparrow<em>

* * *

><p>Ayisha felt too out in the open without her cloak; the loose ends of her clothes gingerly flapping in the breeze as she jogged behind Jack and Will out from beneath the fort. Pressing her body against the stone wall just as Jack abruptly held his arm out in the air, Ayisha could feel her heart pound in her chest, her chest steadily rising up and down in silent pant. Just then, a few navy soldiers walked past their hiding spot obliviously, and when the coast seemed clear, Jack motioned for both Ayisha and Will to follow him.<p>

"You two seem as if you do this all the time. Do you?" Will whispered from behind Ayisha, the only other sound coming from the light splashing of the pitter-patter of their feet against the damp ground.

Ayisha smiled guiltily at Will from over her shoulder, but then turned her attention back ahead of her when they came to a hill. The same hill in which she and Jack were caught in the first place for saving Miss Swann: the governor's daughter; and slid down the muddy side, the bottoms of her white trousers becoming caked in mud.

"I've made this deduction before, but, you do not seem like one to have become a pirate. How is it that you have become one?" Will grunted out, also, sliding down the side of the hill.

"Ayisha is not a pirate, lad. Never make that assumption again." Jack suddenly intervened, glancing back at both Will and Ayisha from leaning against the stone wall of the bridge they were currently hiding under.

"If she is not a pirate, then how is it that you two have met and are traveling together?" asked Will.

"It's a long story," Jack muttered in response, turning his attention back to the private docks where the ship he had his eye on was.

Ayisha smiled weakly at Will, hoping that it would satisfy his curious mind, and then crept up alongside Jack. Her eyes fixated on the many navy soldiers rushing up and down the dock of the_ Dauntless_. She frowned and began to think up ways on how they could sneak past the soldiers and take the _Dauntless_ without anyone knowing; but she came up with nothing. There was too many of them, and she, Jack and Will could not take them all on, no matter how skilled at fighting they were. They stood no chance against the navy soldier's muskets' if they were all aimed at the trio at once.

Will came up from behind Jack and Ayisha. "We're going to steal the ship?" He seemed surprised to ask, but when Ayisha lightly shook her head side to side with her lips pursed, Will switched his gaze from the _Dauntless_ to the _Interceptor_ still drifting about a mile away from the shore. "_That_ ship?"

"Commandeer," Jack corrected, and Ayisha rolled her eyes. She still saw no difference between stealing a boat - oops - ship and 'commandeering' one. "We're going to commandeer that ship." He pointed to the _Dauntless_. "Nautical term. One question about your business, boy, or there's no use in going." Jack spun around to face Will, eye to eye. "This girl – how far are you willing to go to save her?"

"I'd die for her," Will didn't hesitate to answer, and puffed out his chest so that he stood taller than Jack, his eyes going a shade darker at the mention of Elizabeth Swann.

"Oh, good. No worries then." Jack quipped and refaced the _Dauntless_, scanning the area surrounding them. "Come, I think I know of a way that we can sneak onboard undetected." Jack began heading towards the beach that was a good distance away from the _Dauntless's_ private dock.

The soft smile wiped clean off Ayisha's lips at Jack's response to Will's love for Elizabeth. She locked her jaw in place, in anger, and roughly pushed past Jack in a huff. "…Ayisha? …love?" Jack called out to Ayisha, jogging to catch up with her long strides to the beach; but Ayisha didn't answer any of his calls. "What? What did I say?"

Ayisha stuck her nose up in the air, away from Jack, refusing to answer his ridiculous question, and then gestured for him to show her and Will what he had planned to sneak them onboard of the _Dauntless._ Just as she reached the beginning of the beach; some navy soldiers were still walking along the sand strip.

"Women. I'm never going to understand them, no matter how many I get." Jack muttered towards Will, and, again, Ayisha silently huffed in anger at Jack's words.

Was Ayisha being selfish to only stay with Jack because _she_ loves him, and _she_ didn't want to leave him? Or was she just being naïve to stay with him because she loves him and would let him get away with anything because of that said love, and he knew it? Which is why he always assumed that she would do whatever he asked without hesitation; but, then again, he wasn't that wrong. So far, since they have been together, Ayisha always did whatever Jack asked of her.

Why was she thinking of all of this barely now? Why was she just beginning to question the reasons for staying with Jack? Ayisha felt unnerved about her sudden rush of emotions and gazed at the back of Jack, watching him go through his plan by flipping over one of the dinghies that were along the edge of the beach, her mind drifting to some of the memories she shared with him that she didn't particularly like,

_Ayisha silently sighed to herself, snapping the book she was trying to read shut, and then leaned against the head board of Jack's bed in the captain's chambers of the _Black Pearl_. Jack had confined her to his quarters while he and the rest of the crew were on shore leave in Tortuga; and he didn't like her to go into the town without someone to watch over her; and since no one wanted to stay with her (besides Barbossa –which she declined– and Bootstrap –which she also declined because, he, of all people on the crew, needed a break from watching over her all the time–), Jack told her to stay in his room –with the door locked– until he came back the next morning. _

_Ayisha felt her heart drop when she found herself thinking of the reason why Jack said that he wouldn't come back until the next morning. He didn't even try to hide the fact that he was sleeping with other women. Why should he? He's a pirate. And Pirates don't stick to just one woman. Why; when they could have lots?_

_Shaking her head clear of her thoughts Ayisha decided to do something, besides reading, to get her mind off of what Jack could be doing while in Tortuga. Eyes veering to the locked door in temptation, knowing very well that she was ordered to stay in the room for her own 'safety,' she licked the corner of her mouth and then bit down on her bottom lip. It wasn't like she couldn't take care of herself. She was taught to defend herself even back when she was in Kerma. Again, Ayisha's heart dropped at the thought of her home. She missed her island, her people, and her family. But she gave it all up. Her life on Kerma, her throne – all for love. All for Jack. _

_Sliding her legs off of the side of the bed Ayisha unlocked the door to Jack's room and then poked her head out, scanning the empty deck of the _Pearl_. Slowly stepping out, hesitating because she was disobeying Jack's order, Ayisha tentatively crept out onto the main deck and then looked off of the side, hearing the laugher, gunshots and music coming from the town of Tortuga. _

_Ducking behind one of the barrels on the main deck at the sound of drunken laughter, Ayisha saw some men of the crew stagger onto the _Pearl_ and then down below the deck. Well, that solved the 'who was going to watch over the _Pearl_' question, since Jack didn't like to leave the _Pearl_ unattended. _

_Ayisha slid past the barrel and jogged down the plank, wrapping her white cloak around her body and then pulling the hood over her head. Another rule that Jack put upon Ayisha, was that if she ever went into Tortuga (with an escort of course) that she was to have her cloak and hood on at all times, because if any man had a clear view of her face and body, they would try to take advantage of her. At least this rule Ayisha planned to listen to; she didn't want to run into any trouble while she could avoid it._

_Reaching the heart of Tortuga, where the drunken pirates and music seemed to be the loudest and the worst, Ayisha soaked in her surroundings in awe. Tortuga was a lot different without an escort, since she was only allowed to roam the outskirts of Tortuga. Smiling at the sight of a few pirates dancing merrily to the music emerging from the tavern nearest them, Ayisha clapped along with the others, cheering for the dancing and singing to continue. _

_Hearing a crashing noise, followed by shouts, two men literally flew out of the tavern nearest Ayisha, both men rolling around on the ground, fighting. Ayisha noticed that one of the men was a part of the crew for the _Pearl_, and she switched her gaze back to the tavern, the sounds of a brawl still continuing from inside. Going inside, barely dodging another pair of fighting men, Ayisha stood to the side, wondering why no one was trying to stop the brawl. The rest of the tavern's occupants simply continued with their drinking and badgering of many women._

_From the corner of her eye Ayisha saw something that she wished she hadn't. Her heart shattered into a million pieces, when, at the corner of the tavern, sat Jack with a woman on his lap, and said woman looking as if she were eating his ear off. The woman was blond, and wore a blue tattered dress that showed more cleavage than Ayisha thought possible. Wasn't clothing mean to __**hide**__ such assets? Ayisha knew that Jack had been with other women since she ran away from Kerma, but seeing it first hand was much worst than picturing it in her head._

_Backing away, her head tilted down towards the floor, Ayisha backed into someone and sharply turned around, the hood of her cloak falling due to the sudden movement. She gasped when she saw who she had bumped into. She had never seen a man so…large! The man looked down at her, grinning a toothless smile, the rest of his teeth rotting through, and roughly brought Ayisha to his large belly by grabbing her around the waist._

"_Why, 'ello there darlin', ye new here? 'Cause I would remember a _fine _lady such like yeself." The man eyed Ayisha in such a way that it made her nearly vomit in her own mouth. "How 'bout I buy ye a drink, ey?" _

_Ayisha shook her head side to side vigorously, because she knew when to keep her mouth shut, and backed away from the rather large man only to bump into a table, the contents rolling off of the side and shattering onto the wooden floor, the men and women sitting at the table shot up, shouting in displeasure at Ayisha. _

_Beginning to regret that she left the safety of Jack's private chambers, Ayisha spun back around so that she could run out of the tavern and back to the safety _Pearl_, but then her eyes locked with the very man whom she wanted to avoid. Ayisha remained in eye contact with Jack, seeing him push the woman off of his lap and rise from his seat, and then thought that, that was the perfect time to run. And she did. Ayisha ran faster than she had ever done before, shutting and locking Jack's door behind her._

_Jack never let Ayisha off of the _Pearl_ without an escort __**ever **__again._

Climbing up the side of the _Dauntless_ and then jumping over the thick wooden rail, Ayisha remembered that she didn't have any weapons on her, and let Jack and Will do the threatening while she trailed behind them as they jogged down the wooden steps, towards the crew. Will unsheathed his sword and was poised for attack.

"Everyone stay calm! We are taking over the ship," Jack announced, and the crew turned around to face him, Will and Ayisha.

"Ey! Avast!" Will exclaimed soon after, and the crew began laughing. Even Ayisha couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at Will's choice of words. Did he really think that pirates spoke that way? Well, some did, but only the ones that were less…smart.

Lieutenant Gillette, the man that arrested both Jack and Ayisha, took a brave, arrogant step forward. "This ship cannot be crewed by two men…and a woman," Gillette eyed Ayisha, and Ayisha barely noticed that her white ensemble had turned transparent from being in the water, and tried to cover her body, stepping over and hiding behind Will's tall form.

"Eyes off my lass and on me, mate," said Jack to Gillette.

Gillette switched his attention back to Jack, an arrogant smirk on his thin lips. "…you'll never make it out of the bay," he stated pompously.

"Son," Jack sighed, expertly drawing his pistol and pointing it straight between Gillette's eyes. The click of the hammer being pulled back caused Gillette's face to visibly pale. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy? All right, ye and your crew on the dinghy over there." Jack flicked the barrel of his pistol in the direction of one of the dinghies on the side of the _Dauntless_, and Gillette was more than willing to oblige.

– **X –**

While Jack was busy talking to Will about running a ship, and Ayisha went below deck and into the armory room. Red coats, muskets and swords were cluttered in various places, as if someone had just thrown the supplies in the room without care. Huffing, because she didn't have much time before Jack said that they would make the switch to the _Interceptor_, Ayisha began rummaging through the various weapons, trying to find something that fit her fancy. A weapon that she could actually use and hide within her clothes. Pushing aside a curtain of red coats Ayisha blinked in shock at what she found buried behind a stack of swords that were leaning up against the wall.

Tentatively moving aside some of the swords, so that she wouldn't nic herself on the sharp blades, Ayisha wrapped her fingers around the smooth wood and then was careful in pulling it towards her. Eyeing the beautiful bow, running her fingers against the polished wood, Ayisha then began searching for arrows to go with it. She means, why would they have a bow in the armory, if they didn't have arrows to go with it? And even though Ayisha couldn't exactly hide a bow within her clothes, and she still would prefer something along side of a dagger, but she was an expert marksman when it came to actually using the bow and arrow. It was the main source of weapon on her island besides a spear and dagger, and of course, she wanted to be taught how to use it.

Finding a leather quiver, only having about six spare arrows, Ayisha slipped her arm through the thin rope and let the quiver rest on her back.

"Ayisha, now is not the time to let your curiosity get the best of you. We've got to be prepared for the _Interceptor's_ approach," Jack called from above, and Ayisha's head perked at the sound of his voice.

Quickly spinning around to leave the armory something else caught Ayisha's eye that made her practically beam in happiness. A black cloak, much like the one she left in Will's shop, was the only clothing material that hung on one of the hooks attached to the wall. It most likely belonged to the Captain of the _Dauntless_ – Gillette; and that made Ayisha want to take it for herself all the more. Snatching the cloak from the hook and tying the strings around her neck, letting the cloak cover the bow's quiver, Ayisha jogged back up the stairs and onto the main deck.

Jack was rubbing off on her, and more than he would probably like.

"Where did you get that?" Ayisha faced in Jack's direction, Jack standing by the helm of the _Dauntless_; obviously spotting the bow still in Ayisha's grasp.

In response Ayisha rolled her right shoulder, so that the cloak could move out of her way, and slid the bow into the quiver, and then let the cloak fall back into place. Looking away from Jack, still mad at him, and to Will. She frowned when she saw that he was waving ropes around like a crazed man.

Jack was making Will do all of the work. Work that didn't matter because for as long as she was onboard of the _Black Pearl_, Ayisha never saw any of the crew do what Will was doing.

Hearing footsteps come closer towards her, Ayisha didn't remove her gaze from Will's form, knowing that it was Jack. Who else would it be? They were the only ones on the boat – ship. "Something on your mind you wish to speak to me about?" Jack mumbled low, probably not wanting Will to hear their conversation. He was Captain Jack Sparrow, and Captain Jack Sparrow does _not_ have lady problems. Ever.

Ayisha faced Jack, face stoic, though her eyes were filled with hurt. "Love is something that should not be taken for granted. It is what is keeping me here with you. Will went against everything he believed in because of his love for Miss Swann, and you used it against him for your own advantage."

"I did it for the both of us, Ayisha. If I hadn't done what I done, than we would have been sent to the gallows right about now," Jack stated firmly.

"You are going to help him, right? We are not just going to leave him once we get the _Interceptor_?"

"Of course I will, I said I would, didn't I? And when Jack Sparrow makes a promise – he keeps it."

"If yours and Will's positions were switched and it was I who had been taken by Barbossa, would you have done what Will had done?"

"In a heartbeat. Except I would not need Will, like he does me," said Jack, making Ayisha feel somewhat better about her fickle emotions about her and Jack's nonexistent relationship. "What brought up those questions? You've never questioned my motives before."

Ayisha remained silent.

"…you're not thinking about leaving me, are you?"

"No," Ayisha replied swiftly and smiled softly at Jack, with a light shake of her head, "Never." Though when she spoke that single word, she could feel that her entire heart wasn't in it.

Jack shifted uncomfortably, clearing his throat. He had always been uncomfortable with Ayisha's show of affection towards him. He knew that she loves him, and he did ...feel... for her in return; but he had yet to actually say those three words. If he were in her position, he would have left himself a long time ago. "Well, good, because I would hate to lose the last faithful person on me crew." Jack went back to pirate speech.

"Here they come." Will nodded behind Jack and Ayisha, taking long strides towards the pair.

Following Will's line of sight Ayisha spotted the _Interceptor_ set sail and begin to head towards the _Dauntless_. Jack then lightly waved at both Ayisha and Will, in a 'shooing' manner, and then said, "Take your places."

Ayisha crouched low and ran as fast as she could in the position she was in and then pressed her body against the side of the ship, where Jack calculated that the _Interceptor_ would settle next to. Noise could be heard from over the wooden rail, and Ayisha craned her neck up towards the sky to see if anyone came overhead.

Men swung over and onto the _Dauntless_, but neither Ayisha, Jack nor Will made a single move, because Jack had said to wait for his signal before switching over to the _Interceptor_. Ayisha switched her attention from the skies, to Jack, and waited intensely for his signal to be made. And then it came. With a simple flick of his wrist, all three of them sprang up from their hiding spot, and Ayisha wrapped her fingers tightly around one of the ropes a soldier most likely used to swing onto the _Dauntless_. Pulling herself up, to stand on the thick wooden rail, Ayisha wrapped the rope around her wrist for extra security, in case she lost her grip, took a deep breath, and jumped off of the _Dauntless_, her lose hair whipping around her face at the gust of wind.

Landing on the weather deck of the _Interceptor_, her body rolling upon impact as she let go of the rope, Ayisha quickly lifted her head to face the _Dauntless_. Jack, after landing soon after her, immediately rushed to his feet and went straight for the helm. Will had cut the ropes tying both of the ships together, and soon the _Interceptor_ was on the move. HA! Take that Gillette: two men and a _woman_ can sail a ship on their own if _Jack Sparrow_ were their captain. Which he is.

Arming her bow with an arrow, just in case if a sailor would try to come back onto the _Interceptor_, Ayisha watched vigilantly as Commodore Norrington began ordering his men to attempt to get back onto the _Interceptor_ – none of them being successful, and falling into the sea instead.

"Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way. We'd have had a hard time of it by ourselves," Jack provoked from the helm of _Interceptor_, waving his hat in the air in a thankful manner.

The sailors opened fire, and Ayisha ducked in a lame attempt to dodge the bullets. Even though she knew that Jack had done something to the _Dauntless_ in order for the commodore not to follow them; she still was wary that this wouldn't be the last time they will cross paths with Commodore Norrington. When the gunfire ceased Ayisha lifted her head and saw that the _Dauntless_ remained motionless, not making any moves to follow the _Interceptor_.

"Ayisha," Jack called from the helm, and when Ayisha turned her attention to him, he nodded at her. "You know what to do. See if anyone is still onboard, and if so, bring them to me."

Ayisha nodded and obediently prepared her bow for use, just in case, and went below deck. Though the bow and arrow was only meant for long range attacks, she didn't have much of a choice. Hopefully she could find the armory room on the _Interceptor_, and with luck, she would find a weapon that she could use.

Checking every room below deck Ayisha lowered the bow and disarmed it, placing the arrow and bow back into the quiver strapped to her back. Retracing her steps, back to the armory she found, Ayisha, again, began snooping around for anything that she could conceal within her clothes. Only finding two daggers, one, which she slid into the sash she made out of a red navy coat strapped around her waist, and the other in the her right sleeve. About to go back up to the deck, the ship suddenly jerked to the side, causing Ayisha to roughly collide against the wall in the narrow hallway; and then after she steadied herself, ran up the steps to see Will on the ground, and Jack acting as if nothing happened.

Confused, Ayisha was about to question about what happened, but then Will bustled back onto his feet and stormed past her and down the steps. Following Will's retreating back until he was out of sight, Ayisha turned her attention to Jack and placed her hands on her hips firmly; pursing her lips.

"What? I know that look and I didn't do anything," Jack immediately defended himself. "All I did was tell him the truth about is father. He was the one who brought it up!" Ayisha silently sighed. Will, most likely his whole life, thought that Bootstrap was some outstanding citizen. She knew because sometimes Bootstrap would talk about Will sometimes, and how much he didn't want Will to know what he did in order to keep food on the table for his family.

Once upon a time piracy was legal, but then some 'pirates' took it to the next level, and when they began to do horrible, inhuman things – did the leaders make piracy illegal. Bootstrap turned into a pirate when it was legal, and once it was turned illegal, did he not want Will to know what he did for a living. Bootstrap was a good man. A very good man.

Going back below deck Ayisha found Will sitting on a low stool in the soldier's chambers. He was hunched over, his hands covering his face, and Ayisha took it upon herself to try and talk to him. She found that venting was good for you, instead of bottling them up. Which is way Jack would snap or rant to Ayisha when he got frustrated. She could take it. With her he wouldn't be judged or called weak because he showed his emotions.

Ayisha sat in front of Will silently, waiting for him to speak first – which he did. Will took in a deep breath and lifted his head up, not looking into Ayisha's eyes, but keeping them directed to the floor. "…did you know my father?" he asked, his voice sounding distant.

Ayisha nodded.

"Was he really a…a pirate?"

Ayisha nodded, but placed a comforting hand on Will's knee. "He was a good man," she said.

"If he was a good man, then why did he become a pirate?" Will snapped, swiftly rising from the stool, and the small wooden furniture was kicked back at the sudden movement. "Why did he become one of the most hated beings in the world? …why did he lie to me?"

"You were a child," said Ayisha. "Would you tell your son that you were a pirate if you were in his shoes? He spoke of you greatly, and he only did what he did because it was profitable. It kept you and your mother in a home, right?"

Will remained silent, staring off into the distance, and then looked down at the still sitting Ayisha. "What about you? Jack says that you are not a pirate, yet he is one? How did that come about?"

"I owe Jack my life. He saved me and my people from slavery, and I feel that it is my duty that I somehow repay him."

"By becoming his own slave?"

Ayisha was shocked at Will's observance. "N-no, nothing like that," she stammered out.

"It looks like that to me. You do everything that he asks without second thought. He orders you around, and you obey. Does that not sound like slavery to you?"

"No, it does not," Ayisha murmured, slowly rising to her own feet. "I call it love…"

"Love? You love Jack?" Will asked, flabbergasted. "Why?"

"For many reasons that you may not understand." Ayisha smiled to herself softly. "Yes, from an outsider's point-of-view it may seem like I am a slave to Jack; but it is the exact opposite. It is **I** who needs Jack more than he needs me. Without him I am…I feel…empty. Like a piece of me has been ripped out of my very soul. Do you not feel that way for Miss Elizabeth?"

Will's mouth opened and closed as if he were a fish out of water. "…y-yes. I do." he nodded.

"Then you must know exactly what I mean. You would go through lengths for Miss. Swann – you _are_ now! And I would do the same for Jack if I were ever in such a position as yourself, even though he does not feel the same as I."

"And what makes you think that he does not?"

"You do not know him like I do." Ayisha smiled solemnly. "He is not the kind of man who loves. He is a pirate, and he wants to be free. Free from any attachment. I go where he goes simply because if I don't he would leave me."

Will continued to stare at Ayisha, and Ayisha shifted her eyes to the floor, trying to contain the emotions wanting to burst out.

"…I am sorry," murmured Will.

Ayisha nodded stiffly, chuckling. "That is what I get for falling in love with a man that I cannot have."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** I combined two chapters on this update. I felt that the original chapter I was going to put up was too short, and a bit of a tease. I've put a lot more description about Ayisha and Jack's 'relationship', if you even call it that.

Oh, and go check out the banner .S Y N T H E T I Cperfection. made for me! And, girl, your photoshop skills are like _suh-weet_! I love the banner, and, please, by all means, whenever your bored go ahead and make me a banner for this delightful story - I won't mind ;)  
>I love artwork fans make for me.<br>I think the banner catches the image of Ayisha very well. She's hidden underneath a cloak, concealing her face; and in a later chapter, you guys will read why Ayisha wears a cloak all the time.

Reviews make me want to update faster :D  
>...so leave one, pretty please.<p>

**AddictedToJohnny:** (Since you are the only one who doesn't have an account, and I can't PM you) Thank you. All I do is watch lots of kung-fu movies ;) And, you recognized that? Man, you're good. lol. I wanted to do something a bit different from the other girls entered into the movie. Ayisha did a selfish thing by leaving Elizabeth behind just so she wouldn't be recognized by anyone from the _Black Pearl_.

**P.S:** I wanna cave! I want to post another story up, but I don't think I should. What do you guys think? Do you guys love Bradley Cooper? Especially in 'The Hangover'? I have an idea for a fanfic for that, that has lots of Drama, Romance, and Family. It would follow the movies (of course) but I would add my own spunk to it. I hate going by the script - as most of you know. So. Are you guys interested; or no? I just had this idea forming in the back of my mind ever since I heard that they're making a third movie. Third!


	6. Branded For Life

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin__

**Scene Six:**  
><em>Branded For Life<em>

* * *

><p>– <strong>JACK –<strong>

_Darkness. Complete darkness. The only source of light coming from the fickle flame of some candles lined along the narrow hall. The air was thick and musky, filled with the stench of decaying bodies from the other 'live' men locked in the cells buried deep beneath the ground of the Royal Navy Fort stationed in…Africa, was it? Jack didn't even know where he was anymore. The last thing he remembered was being hit across the head with a blunt object when Cutler Beckett found out that he freed the slaves he was meant to send off to New Avalon in the Caribbean; and then waking up in a cramped cell that he couldn't even stretch out properly if he wanted to._

_He wondered where Ayisha was, and what Cutler had done to her. Jack remembered her hiding in the wardrobe in his chambers on-board the Wicked Wench once Jack spotted Cutler's ship nearby. Ayisha always hid so that she wouldn't be found by Cutler and forced back into slavery. And even if she was found Jack would never allow her to become a servant to some high-class society member that would end up treating her like dirt, or worse. _

_The sound of dripping water leaking from the ceiling above him was beginning to drive him mad; how long had he been locked up in this cell? Jack longed to feel the gentle sea breeze blow through his hair, the natural heat of the sun cascading down upon his face, and most importantly, he missed his ship. His beloved ship: The Wicked Wench. An image of Ayisha's smiling face popped into Jack's mind, causing him to frown. He couldn't stand the thought of something happening to her. Licking his dry, chapped lips Jack finally thought that this was it, he lived his life and now it was time to let go of the last shred of life he was so desperately clinging on to._ I'm sorry, love, _he thought, smiling softly to himself, thinking of Ayisha and how he let her down by not being strong enough to protect her. Just as he felt his body lolling to the side, in step footsteps echoed down the narrow hall and the creaking sound of his cell door opening made him lift his head up with the last shred of strength he had. He quickly regretted it when the bright flame of an oil lamp being practically shoved in his face burned his eyes and caused him to clamp them shut. He then felt his body being forcefully lifted in the air, different pair of arms gripping tightly onto both of his forearms, his boots scrapping against the floor as his captures dragged him out of his cramped cell._

_His surroundings blurred together, his eyes still adjusting to the sudden movement, his head pounding in pain as the sun's rays beamed down harshly on his entire body. The men holding him let go and his body fell to the ground with a hard thud, a groan escaping Jack's lips. Clean, polished boots came into view as Jack laid on the ground; and looking up, eyes squinting against the bright light, Jack caught sight of the man who threw him in jail: Cutler Beckett. The EITC man smirked down at Jack, his hands neatly folded behind his uniformed back (a uniform Jack himself once proudly wore –was __still__ wearing– but it was now mangled and dirty) and then Cutler kicked Jack, causing Jack to roll over and onto his back._

"_How are you feeling, Mr. Sparrow?" Cutler sadistically smiled as Jack let out another groan of agony. "No, no, no. I can't have you dying on me yet, Mr. Sparrow, I have something to show you first. Lift him up." Cutler nodded over to two of his men, and they did as ordered, lifting Jack off of the ground and holding up his weight. Cutler then lifted Jack's chin with his own hand and pointed it out towards the direction of the sea. Jack recognized his ship from anywhere and was surprised, yet ecstatic, that it was still in one piece. He only wished the same for his crew and Ayisha, if they were still on-board. "You see that? That's your beloved ship. The one _I_ gave you. I have a proposition for you, Mr. Sparrow. You are a one of a kind, kind of man. Someone with great knowledge and skill of the sea –someone I need. I'll give you one more chance to get into my good gracious, but only if you promise never to defy __any__ of my orders ever again. What do you say?" _

_In response Jack, in a drunken like manner, just spat onto Cutler's neatly, clean boots, and then gave a lopsided grin._

_Cutler kept his eyes on the boot Jack spat on, and his hands visibly tightened into fists. "I'll take that as a 'no' then. You have no idea what you have just done to yourself Mr. Sparrow." Cutler nodded over to another one of his men, and a man Jack recognized as Ian Mercer, Cutler's own personal lab dog – a man Jack proudly declared to dislike with every being in his body; and Ian wore a sadistic smile on his lips as he tightly grabbed ahold of Jack's wrist and yanked Jack's arm forward. Ian then ripped open the sleeve of Jack's navy-blue coat, leaving Jack's entire forearm bare, and held his hand out behind him, a man whom looked like a slave handing Ian a branding iron, the tip a blazing orange. Jack tried to struggle free when he realized what it was, but it was useless, his body was weak and tired. _

_Jack held in a scream of pain when he felt the searing hot metal burn his flesh, and Ian kept pressing it against Jack's skin for longer than necessary. Once Ian removed the branding iron Jack still felt a throbbing pain on his forearm and let his body go limp in exhaustion. His eyes veered over to the mark they've branded him with. The large 'P' on his forearm caused Jack to finally realize that he was stupid to think that he could escape his past of piracy. _

"_I'm not done yet, Mr. Sparrow." _

_Cutler's voice filled Jack's body with anger, and Jack forced his tired head to lift and glare with complete hatred for the man before him. Cutler smirked down at Jack and then faced his body towards the sea, his arm lifting in the air. Cutler's hand flicked to the side in a gesturing manner. Jack's attention snapped in the direction of the _Wicked Wench_ just as flames began licking across the deck and smoke raised from his beloved ship. Jack's face paled. _Ayisha!_ Rage bubbled within Jack's stomach and he somehow found a rush of adrenaline and strength coursing through his body, and then struggled free from the hold of the men holding him up. W__ithout a second thought, Jack dove into the ocean to save the _Wicked Wench, _his crew_,_ and Ayisha... if they were still on-board that is._

…_and he failed…_

Jack awoke with a startle; his eyes snapped open and frantically searched the captain's chambers that he claimed for his own because he wanted to take a nap before going back to the helm to sail the rest of the way to Tortuga. He _hated _reliving that memory, even if he was just dreaming. The memory of having almost dying, have he not made that deal with Davy Jones, and the memory of almost losing Ayisha. Fortunately, Ayisha was not on the _Wicked Wench_ when it had sunk. After being reborn, along with the _Wicked Wench_: which was now the _Black Pearl_, Jack found out that she was taken back into Cutler's greedy clutches; Cutler trying to convince her in revealing the location of her home island to him, again; like she did with Jack. And as for the original crew of the _Wicked Wench_, they were not so lucky...

Everything seemed to go downhill for Jack once he had met Ayisha those many years ago. She had made him go soft. Much like Angelica and Esmeralda did; the women Jack let himself love before Ayisha. Still loves, to his dismay. That was another thing Jack hated about himself. Once someone managed to wiggle their way into his heart – they stayed there. He didn't like feeling soft and vulnerable. He didn't like having another weak spot. It was bad enough that he already had one with the _Black Pearl_! That was the whole reason why Jack left Angelica and Esmeralda – he feared commitment. Angelica and Esmeralda wanted a life with him. A family. Ayisha…she just wanted to _be_ with him. To be in his presence. She remained faithful to him even after she had seen him with many other women. Angelica and Esmeralda would have probably killed him, no, scratch that, would have killed him, if they had seen him with another woman. Ayisha…she just acted like she never saw a thing.

Was she worth being branded as a pirate? The thing he was trying to escape when he ran away from Shipwreck Cove, for breaking the code. She was the one who voiced her dislike of delivering people to their permanent slavery (which he subconsciously agreed with). She was the one who begged him to free them. To look deep within his heart and let them go. And he listened. He freed the slaves, taking them to Kerma, Ayisha's home, and Ayisha convinced her parents to let the slaves be free on their island.

Jack looked down, seeing Ayisha sleeping peacefully by his side. He then slid his legs off of the edge of the bed so that his back was facing her. He took in a deep breath, and thought that yes, yes, she was worth it. Putting his boots back on, followed by his coat and hat, Jack glanced back at Ayisha's sleeping form before leaving the captain's chambers, and going back to the helm.

– **AYISHA –**

Ayisha groggily wiped her eyes clean of the crust that formed in the corners of her eyes. God, she really needed that nap. The one she had back at Will's shop wasn't very good since it was a forced sleep when her head smacked against something hard, probably leaving a bruise. Sitting up Ayisha noticed that Jack was no longer beside her but shrugged it off since he usually slept at odd hours only. Looking out of the window that took up much of the wall in the captain's quarters she took in a deep breath through her nose at the sight of the darkened sky... Tortuga was at its worse during the night hours, she thought.

Emerging from the captain's quarters Ayisha craned her head up, and back, so that she could look up at the quarter deck. Jack had his full attention on the sea ahead of them, both hands on the handles of the helm. He really was a good captain. Frowning at the memory of the mutiny from the crew of the _Black Pearl_, Ayisha tore her eyes away from Jack's figure and looked towards Will, who was securing some rope that belonged to the main mast.

She never felt more useless than she did just right now. After traveling with Jack for many years she **still** didn't know a _thing_ about boats. Oops – ships. Then again, she never really tried to learn. All she did while she was on-board the _Pearl_ was cook, clean, and care for wounds that the crew would get. Perhaps now was a good a time to learn how to sail a ship as any since it was just the three of them sailing the _Interceptor_. From memory Ayisha could tell that they were near Tortuga. And she was right. Just as the _Interceptor_ rounded a cliff, Tortuga was in sight, and even from their distance Ayisha could hear the gunfire, laughter, and loud music blaring. No wonder the royal navy feared coming to this island; drunken pirates were not to be messed with; they just became more irritable and violent. Hopefully they wouldn't attack the _Interceptor_ since it technically was a royal navy ship, even though they stole it. Oops, commandeered. Okay, first step in becoming a better pirate: learn how to talk like one.

Settling the _Interceptor_ by one of the many docks of Tortuga, Jack stood in front of Will and Ayisha just after Will and he slid the plank down to the dock. Jack pointed at Will, "Stay by me side at all times. I can't afford ye getting killed. And you," Jack moved his finger over to Ayisha, "raise your hood."

Ayisha rolled her eyes but nonetheless pulled the hood of her new cloak over her head, casting a shadow over most of her face.

"Why does she need to wear a cloak? Should I find a cloak as well?" asked Will in bewilderment.

"Not unless there is a eunuch somewhere in Tortuga, no," answered Jack, "I just don't want anyone staring at me lass. She's too pretty for her darn good," Jack added as if Ayisha's beauty was a nuisance, and dismissively waved his hand in the air. "OK, now that ye know all the rules, let's go find me a crew." Jack swaggered down the plank as if he owned the entire island, and Will and Ayisha shared a glance.

"You love _that_ man? That one right there?" Will asked, skeptically to Ayisha, pointing at Jack's retreating figure,

"Hurry up ye scallywags, I ain't got all night!" Jack bellowed from over his shoulder.

Ayisha simply grinned at Will as her answer, tugged on her hood so that it hung over her head more, and followed in Jack's direction. Tortuga was the same as she remembered when she and Jack last paid it a visit. Drunken pirates dancing without a care in the world in the middle of the streets, whores lifting the skirts of their dresses, flashing every man who so happened to be looking in their direction, and music flowed out from the many taverns or brothels.

"Tortuga, how I missed you!" Jack shouted to the heavens, his arms spread wide apart. "I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted. What do you think?" Jack wrapped an arm around Will's shoulders, and with the other, he swept it to the side in a showy manner, gesturing to the utter chaos that was Tortuga.

"…it'll linger," Will answered, obviously feeling out of place in Tortuga. He practically grew up in the well kept society town in Port Royal, and now he was thrust into the living arrangement that was Tortuga.

Ayisha came up to Will's other side, eyes scanning the street ahead of them. Tortuga really was a mess; but it was a _free_ mess. And even though she hated to admit it; it was the safest place they could be right now since they just stole a navy ship. Commodore James Norrington's ship. From the corner of her eye Ayisha spotted a redheaded woman stomp over in their direction, and then Ayisha turned her full attention onto the redhead once she saw that the angry looking woman was marching straight towards Jack.

Ayisha watched as Jack did a double take at the redheaded woman and grinned. "Scarlett!" he exclaimed joyfully, and Ayisha silently huffed with a roll of her eyes.

'Scarlett' then proceeded to slap Jack across the face and stormed off soon after. "…not sure I deserved that," Jack muttered, his head snapping in Will and Ayisha's direction from the blow.

Ayisha couldn't help but smile at the fact a woman slapped Jack, but then another woman came forth, Ayisha immediately recognizing the blond as the very first woman she ever saw Jack with when she snuck off the _Black Pearl_ without permission.

"Giselle!" smiled Jack, spreading his arms apart, as if expecting a hug.

"Who was she?" the blond woman gestured, with her head, towards the retreating figure of Scarlett, but before Jack could answer she, too, slapped him across the face, leaving in a huff.

"…I may have deserved that," Jack muttered, again. "Ayisha, darlin'," Jack smiled charmingly towards Ayisha without skipping a beat. "That wasn't what it looked like."

Ayisha sighed and shook her head, Will leaning down in her direction, mumbling, "Is this one of the reasons why I would not understand why you are in love with him?"

Ayisha frowned in response; not knowing how to answer Will's question. It seemed that since Will began to tag along, he only saw the bad side to Jack, not the good. But, then again, Jack had only been showing his bad side since leaving Port Royal. Suddenly, startling Ayisha, Jack wedged himself between Will and her, wrapping his arms around both of their shoulders, but then he pushed aside Will, so that only Ayisha was still under his arm, waving dismissively at the confused look on the young boy's face, leading Ayisha deeper into Tortuga.

Ayisha could help but smile at Jack's antics from underneath the hood shadowing most of her face.

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><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note: **This is where the story is a bit AU compared to the book by A.C. Crispin. This is my intake on Jack's branding of becoming a pirate - what do you think?


	7. A Woman Scorned

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin__

**Scene Seven:**  
><em>A Woman Scorned<em>

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><p>Ayisha watched the busy streets of Tortuga with sharp eyes, body rigid in alert, ready to fend for herself or Will, and Jack if needed be. That was a downside of Tortuga; pirates will attack pirates just for the sport of it. Ayisha's hand hovered dangerously close to the handle of the dagger hidden within her sash, her eyes darting side to side, at every pirate and whore who stumbled past her. Turning her head to the side, glancing in Will's direction, he, too, seemed to be on high alert but also continued to milk in Tortuga with curious eyes. Switching her attention from Will, to Jack, she nearly rolled her eyes when she saw that Jack was as carefree as usual, forcing his own path through the throng of pirates.<p>

Does nothing scare that man anymore? Well, besides his own demise?

"What are we looking for?" asked Will, having to shout over the loud commotion of Tortuga.

"It is not _what_ we are looking for, lad. But rather _who_ we are looking for," responded Jack, glancing back at Will from over his shoulder, and then said nothing more.

Will cast a confused glance towards Ayisha, and she shrugged in response. She has always just followed Jack's orders without question. Jack was a very complex man; hard to predict some would say, and Ayisha had long ago given up in trying to figure out Jack Sparrow. He was a man of many surprises, no matter how long she had known him. She may have known about his past, and probably is one of the few who does, but ever since their run-in with Cutler Beckett those many years ago, and Jack was forever branded as a pirate, Jack has been rather erratic. Okay, _more_ erratic. Borderline insane people would call him; but one must be insane in order to survive the harsh seas, Jack would say; in order to see the world for what it really is: a brutal reality.

"OK then…who are we looking for?" Will rephrased.

Jack didn't answer and instead, kept on walking and then stopped in front of a wooden door riddled with holes. Pushing it open with the tip of his fingers Jack took one large, single step inside of the shack, and then stood inside, back erect. Ayisha's fingers were now firmly wrapped around the hilt of the dagger, wondering if Jack sensed something that she did not. Will went rigid by her side, Ayisha feeling his arm lightly brushing against hers as he stiffened.

Ayisha let her body lax, drinking in the aura of the room, but felt nothing that was potentially dangerous. So why was Jack acting so cautious? Suddenly Jack relaxed, swiftly spinning around so that he was facing Will and Ayisha and then thrust his hands out in Will's direction, causing Will to jump back. Jack smirked, "Scared ye, didn't I?"

Jack then walked all the way into the shack, his figure disappearing within the shadows. Ayisha faced Will, seeing his face ashen, and giggled. Will looked at Ayisha with wide eyes, "I'm beginning to wonder if I picked the right pirate to assist me," he uttered.

"Believe me, Mr. Turner, no one knows the _Black Pearl_ better than Jack. You picked the right pirate." Ayisha passed Will a small smile and then followed in Jack's direction.

Finding Jack, Ayisha came up to his side, staring down at a portly man sleeping and using some pigs as pillows. The man was literally sleeping in a pig's sty. Scrunching up her nose at the smell of manure Ayisha placed the back of her hand over her nose to try and cover up some of the smell. She couldn't understand why Mr. Gibbs was sleeping with pigs, rather than renting out a room. She was sure that he could scrounge up some money. There was bound to be _some_ sort of work in Tortuga.

"Right where we left him," Jack mumbled, head cocking to the side, inspecting the sleeping form of Gibbs.

"How are we going to wake him this time?" asked Ayisha, wondering what plan Jack was cooking up in his mind for poor Mr. Gibbs. He always tried a new way of waking the poor man from his sleep. Then again, it seemed that every time Jack and Ayisha sought out Mr. Gibbs, they always found him sleeping.

"_This_ is the man that we are looking for?" Will came up from behind both Jack and Ayisha.

"Yup," Jack quipped and then walked off. "Come here, lad, and help me with this."

Ayisha stayed the spot in which she was standing, only turning her head around to watch both Jack and Will. Will obeyed Jack's order and went over to him, Jack standing next to a water pump. Jack then placed a bucket underneath said water pump and motioned for Will to do the pumping. Ayisha smiled. Jack always said, 'why do a deed, when you can get someone else to do it for you?' And it seems that Jack has found his new toy: Will Turner.

Ayisha's smile widened once she saw Will do as Jack told, and began pumping the lever of the water pump without question. And he called _her_ Jack's slave. Jack could get just about anyone to do what he wanted; he just had a way with words. Turning back to Mr. Gibbs, Ayisha frowned a bit, wondering if she should wake him from his slumber by shaking him, instead of letting Jack dump water all over him. But it was too late; Jack came up from beside her, bucket in hand, and tossed its entire contents onto poor Mr. Gibbs.

"CURSE YOU FOR BREATHING, YOU SLACK-JAWED IDIOT!" Mr. Gibbs sprang up, knife in hand, ready to slice whoever woke him, but then once he laid eyes on Jack, he calmed but seemed shocked to see them standing before him. "Mother's love! Jack! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. It's bad luck."

"Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking," said Jack, smoothly, without fault.

Everyone remained silent after Jack's confusing statement, Mr. Gibbs's face twisting in confusion. Ayisha felt a migraine forming in the center of her forehead, and rubbed her forehead in exasperation.

Mr. Gibb's nodded, confusion still clear on his face, "Aye, that'll about do it," he said, but Ayisha knew that he, too, like Will, didn't know what in the heck Jack was saying. As he was beginning to rise to his feet Will threw another bucket of water on him. "Blast! I'm already awake!" Gibbs bellowed, sputtering water out from his mouth, glaring at Will.

"…that was for the smell," said Will, and Ayisha silently agreed with him. She didn't want the smell of a pig pen to follow her wherever Mr. Gibbs went with them.

Mr. Gibbs began to rise to his feet again but slipped on the mud that formed beneath him from all the water Jack and Will dumped on him. Mud splattered on the bottom of Ayisha's white trousers causing her to sigh. Why must she always get dirty in every single situation? Couldn't she ever stay clean for once? This was her only clean outfit since she refused to wear anything that wasn't from Kerma. The other outfit was tucked secretly in a sac Ayisha created, hanging off her back like the quiver. But, was it so foolish to cling to the only thing she had left that she brought from home? Because she doesn't think so.

Stepping into the mud, since she was already dirty anyway, Ayisha's slippers squished and squashed as she trudged forward, towards Mr. Gibbs to help him up. The faster he got up, the faster he could help Jack find a crew, and the faster it would be to get off of Tortuga; and Ayisha _really_ wanted to get off of Tortuga.

"Bless thee, Ayisha." Mr. Gibbs smiled as he dusted off his front, trying to wipe off as much mud as possible, and Ayisha smiled in response.

"Yes, yes, yes, come, come, I don't have all day," Jack interrupted, dusting Ayisha off and then fixed her hood, which had fallen off, before ushering everyone out of the shabby shack which Gibb's was sleeping in.

"He still keeps ye on a tight leash, eh?" Mr. Gibbs mumbled into Ayisha's ear, him walking beside her, Will on her other side and Jack leading them to wherever he wanted to go. "Afraid ye is going to leave him still?"

"He's always done this?" Will mumbled from Ayisha's other side, starting up a conversation that Ayisha did not want to have.

"Aye. Jack has always been very protective of Miss Ayisha for as long as I can remember," answered Mr. Gibbs.

Someone cleared their throat, and all eyes turned to Jack, who was standing in front of a tavern with his hands placed firmly on his hips. Will and Mr. Gibbs shut their mouths; and Ayisha silently huffed, moving past Jack and going into the Tavern, but staying by the entrance once she saw how many pirates were occupying inside. Mr. Gibbs was not the only person who voiced their thoughts that Jack was too constrictive over Ayisha, not letting her do much unless he was there with her. There were many others who thought the same thing that she and Jack had met throughout the years. Why did they think it was so bad that Jack watched over her? She rather liked it. She couldn't survive out in the real world without Jack.

Jack swaggered past Ayisha, motioning for the three to follow him. "Keep a sharp eye," Jack told Will, and then faced Ayisha. "Watch over him."

Ayisha nodded and stood next to Will as Will leaned against a pillar, and Jack and Mr. Gibbs settled themselves at a table that was nearby. Facing her back towards Jack and Gibbs, staring out at the crowd and watching the drunken pirates and whores drinking and causing up a ruckus, Ayisha subconsciously tugged her hood, trying to cover more of her face.

"I'm sorry."

Ayisha looked up at Will, her eyebrow rising in confusion.

"I meddled into your past without your consent and I am sorry for that," said Will in an apologetic tone. "It's just…I do not understand-"

"Nor should you," Ayisha interrupted. "I do not even understand it myself," she murmured lowly. "I've long ago stopped trying and learned to live with it." Ayisha smiled up at Will, and so did he in return.

"She is not!" a familiar voice suddenly exclaimed.

Ayisha switched her attention from Will, to Jack, at his outburst. What on earth were he and Mr. Gibbs speaking about? Jack usually always kept his composure. Well, in his own weird way he did. Her attention was then forced back to Will when his body lightly collided with hers. A plump woman had practically pressed her rather large bosoms onto Will's chest, smiling a yellow stained smile up at him. Ayisha giggled when Will tried to politely ignore the woman, but the woman was stubborn, continuing to 'bump' into Will accidentally. Then another man came forth, taking the woman away, but not before giving Will the 'evil' eye. Or, at least he attempted to give Will the evil eye in his drunken state.

"Tortuga," Ayisha stated with a small smile, passing Will a sly glance.

Jack, again, came up from behind Ayisha and Will, wedging himself between the two, wrapping an arm around Ayisha's shoulders. "Now, darlin', I believe I owe you a present." Jack began leading Ayisha towards the exit of the tavern but then stopped, looking back at Will who was following them. Jack slid his arm off of Ayisha's shoulder and faced Will. "You, stay here." He spoke to Will as if he were speaking to a dog, motioning for him to stay in the tavern. "Don't worry, boy, Gibbs will take good care of ye. Gibbs!" Jack called over to Mr. Gibbs. "Make sure nothing happens to him."

Will looked skeptical, and so did Ayisha for that matter, but nonetheless let Jack lead her out of the tavern. "…we are not going to leave him here, are we?" asked Ayisha, looking around at the few shops Tortuga had.

"Now, have I ever left a man from my crew behind before?" Jack rewrapped his arm around Ayisha's shoulders, his free hand stealing a tankard from a passed out pirate. Ayisha nodded in agreement, her lips forming a thin line. Jack has never left a man of his crew before. But, did he consider Will apart of his crew? "So," Jack cleared his throat, sliding his arm off of Ayisha's shoulders and tinkering with various items on a wooden stand. "What are your thoughts on young William?"

Ayisha scrunched her nose up in confusion, looking away from a piece of jewelry she was inspecting.

"He's young and handsome – not that I'm a eunuch – …and young," Jack muttered.

Ayisha stared at him with an amused look on her face, a wide smile spreading across her face. Was he jealous of Will? Deciding not to respond to Jack's question Ayisha continued to inspect some of the items that shop owners kept out in front of their stores.

"Why, 'ello there, love."

Ayisha's ears perked, her head lifting up at the sound of a woman's voice. Turning her head to the side, in Jack's direction, Ayisha frowned when she saw that a woman came up to him. Her breasts were practically popping out of her tattered dress, and she was pretty but the tons of makeup she smeared all over her face, ruined it. But what made Ayisha's heart drop was that Jack was actually paying attention to the woman, his eyes roaming the woman's skinny figure. He was supposed to be here with _her_, buying _her_ a gift - not picking up whores.

Ayisha set down a bracelet that she had picked up (which reminded her of her own wristlet that she left at home, symbolizing that she was of royalty) and backed away from Jack and the woman, her eyes burning with unshed tears. This wasn't the first time that she saw Jack with another woman, but that didn't mean that she didn't like to see it. Tearing her eyes away from the sight Ayisha began to head back to the tavern in which they left Will and Mr. Gibbs, but then skidded to a stop when two men rolled past her, in mid-fight.

_Tortuga_, she whispered in her mind, wanting to get away from the utter chaos. Wanting to get away from everything. Going back to the _Interceptor_ Ayisha closed the door of the captain's quarters behind her, covering her mouth with her hand as she began to openly sob. Tearing off her cloak, bow and quiver, and throwing them to the ground Ayisha staggered to the window and fell to her knees. Taking in a deep breath to try and clear her thoughts, she settled into a more comfortable position and began to meditate; letting her mind go blank; but after a few moments she was too distraught to let her body lax.

A tear finally slipped, rolling down the side of Ayisha's cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. She was stronger than this. She was taught to let nothing fear, or scare, her. But, then again, when she was being taught back at home, she didn't know what love was. She didn't know who Jack was. _He_ ruined her life for other men...

After years, and years, of being with Jack - trying to make him realize that she is all the woman he needs, was going to waste; and Ayisha just realized it.

Does Jack Sparrow love her? Does he even _like_ her?

_No, of course he does_, Ayisha shook her head, her fingers curling into fists on her lap as she sat on her legs. _He wouldn't let me tag along with him if he did not...right? _Or, as Ayisha thought in the back of her mind, refusing to openly admit it, was Jack just like other pirates, and only let her be around him because she was the lost princess of Zerzura? She was the only one who could help open the gateway that lead into the labyrinth in which her people's entire wealth and fortune lied. But, she no longer has the wristlet that would allow her to open the gateway. She left it at home, with her mother.

Ayisha needed some reassuring that she was following the right path. Or was she really a fool?

She closed her eyes...

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><p><strong>(AN) Authors' Note: **...and left you on a cliffhanger :3  
>lol, aren't I such a stinker?<p>

Reviews are love :D


	8. Legend Has It

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin__

**Scene Eight:**  
><em>Legend Has It...<em>

* * *

><p><em>Once Ayisha closed her eyes the darkness underneath her eyelids shimmered, a scenery taking shape. The golden sun was setting, casting a light hue through the open window of the building made of large square stones. Ayisha stood in a room, a feeling a comfort and love filling her body as she recognized the room as the throne room where her parents would listen to their people's problem, if any. <em>_Two large chairs made of pure gold sat on a square foundation, also made of stone, and the only source of light was lit torches that were lined along the walls. Golden curtains blew gently in the wind, Ayisha feeling the gentle breeze on her face, cooling her hot body._

_Oh, how she missed home. _

_Her hair fell loosely and straight, cascading down her back. Gold beads were in her hair, keeping it straight by its weight. Her body was bare, a golden loincloth only covering her womanhood, lightly swaying by her knees. Staring down at her hands, seeing the black ink markings that were beautifully drawn over the golden paint on her entire body, she rubbed her fingers together, feeling the grainy pain. It was a Kermanian tradition that she always hated. Having to wake up in the early morning hours, bathe, and then take hours on end to let the servants paint and draw on her body. It was said that the fashion in which the black ink was drawn, that it would catch the sins so that it wouldn't enter their soul, keeping it pure, and then once you washed the paint off – the sins of the day went with it. _

_Footsteps patted against the polished floor, and Ayisha turned around to see her mother walking towards her with a smile on her face. "I was beginning to wonder when you would contact me." Ayisha's mother walked up to her. "Is something the matter, my daughter?" _

"_Have I done the right thing in leaving home, Mother?" Ayisha murmured solemnly. _

"_You left for love, did you not?"_

_Ayisha nodded._

"_Then you did the right thing. Love comes once in a lifetime, and if one is lucky enough to find it, then follow it wherever it goes," her mother, Tiyy, added. _

"_But," Ayisha hesitated to say. "What if one doubts said love? What if they thought they loved the person in whom they claimed to love, and in the end that love begins to fade away?"_

"_You doubt your love for this man for whom you left for?" asked Tiyy._

"…_he does things that causes me to doubt," answered Ayisha. "I try to look past these things because I love him; but whenever I see him do these acts, my heart aches…breaks…day by day, minute by minute. Mother, I do not want my love for Jack to fade. What do I do?" _

"_You have never doubted your love for him before, have you not?"_

_Ayisha nodded._

"_Then what brought it on now?"_

"…_we took a man onboard. He is risking his life -gave up his reputation!- for love. We are helping him rescue a woman, and Jack is only helping him for his own selfish benefit. Mother, he has changed. He is no longer the man I fell in love with. He turned himself into someone I no longer know – _using_ people for his own personal gain. What…what if he is using me because he knows that I will not leave him." Tears streamed down Ayisha's cheek, smearing the paint on her face. "What if he's only using me because I can help in opening up the entrance to the labyrinth?"_

_Tiyy cupped Ayisha's cheek, gently rubbing her thumb across Ayisha's face. "My daughter, are you trying to tell me that you wish to come home?"_

_Ayisha locked eyes with her beautiful mother, baffled for words. She only contacted her mother for advice in trying to keep her love for Jack, bright. But now that Tiyy has offered to welcome her back home, it sounded…tempting. _

"…_I…" Ayisha never got to finish her answer, something breaking the mental link that she was having with her mother,_

Blinking her eyes open Ayisha lifted her hands and touched the new cloth that was draped over her shoulders. Tugging the cotton cloth, so that it slid off her shoulders, she lifted it in front of her, seeing that it was a white cloak with gold trimming. It was beautiful and smooth to the touch. Glancing over her shoulder Ayisha spotted Jack sitting on the bed and pulling off his boots, letting them fall to the floor with a heavy thud. Turning her attention back to the cloak in hand she gently ran her fingers across the cool material and felt wetness on her cheeks. Touching her face, withdrawing her hand, she saw that her crying in the mental link with her mother had followed her back into reality.

Rising to her feet Ayisha strolled over to Jack, to apologize for running off on him and probably causing worry, but it was too late, he was asleep. The stench of rum and…something else Ayisha was too disgusted and disappointed to name filled her nose when she got closer to his sleeping form. It seems that he took the whores offer…

Ayisha's heart ached, as if someone thrust their hand deep into her chest and squeezed her heart with all their might. Staring down at her hands, realizing that they were clenched tight and crumpling the beautiful cloak, she relaxed her fingers. Switching her gaze back and forth, from Jack to the cloak, she hugged the material close to her chest. At least he still brought her something, just like he promised. It wasn't as if he bought the whore something as well…right? Or was Ayisha just making up excuses for Jack so that the pain in her chest would go away?

…she needed some fresh air. Wrapping her new cloak around her shoulders Ayisha left the captain's quarters and walked out, onto the main deck. The sky was black, stars twinkling above, and Ayisha took in a deep breath as she leaded against the rail, and stared up towards the sky. Maybe Will was right. Why was she still with Jack if there was no reason to be? Was love enough anymore? Especially if that love was beginning to dwindle?

Speaking of Will; where was he? Was he still with Gibbs? Or had he come back onboard the _Interceptor_? Concern caused Ayisha to frown. It was much too dangerous for her to go search for him in Tortuga by herself, and Jack was asleep. Besides, even if he was awake, he probably wouldn't want to go look.

Despite her worry for Will's safety Ayisha began to feel her eyelids go heavy; but she didn't really want to go back to the captain's quarters to sleep with Jack; especially when the memory of him with another woman was fresh in her mind. She would go into the extra cabin but that was reserved for Will (if he was even in there). Ayisha's eyes drifted up towards the crow's nest. It wouldn't be the first time she slept up there; she loved to be as close to the stars as possible sometimes.

– **WILL –**

They were wasting time. Elizabeth was in danger at the very moment, and all they had done was come to a pirate safe-haven, woke up a drunken man, came to a tavern, and brought said drunken man a drink.

All of a sudden, Will heard a loud thud. Lifting his gaze from the tankard Gibbs had brought for him, Will noticed that Mr. Gibbs had fallen back with his seat. Will waited for a moment, thinking that Mr. Gibbs was going to get back up; but he didn't, and it didn't look like he was going to get up anytime soon, either. Will then looked down at his own tankard, again , the contents still untouched. Sighing, he sluggishly got up from his chair, walked over to where Mr. Gibbs had fallen, and stared down at the portly man's limp figure. Now what was he supposed to do with him? Where was Jack and Ayisha? Shouldn't they be back by now?

Will's head perked at his own thoughts, his once sluggish mind alert. _They wouldn't_... Will thought, running out of the tavern, leaving Gibbs behind. _He wasn't serious, was he? _Will continued to think, mind flashing back to Jack's words about using him as leverage for something dealing with the pirates who had taken Elizabeth hostage. And as Will was running all the way to where the _Interceptor_ was docked, he thought that he was stupid to think that he could trust a pirate. Was his love for Elizabeth blinding him so much that he would trust anyone that was 'willing' to help him save her?

But what about Ayisha? She actually seemed like a decent person. But, like he had already deduced about her already, she was ready to do whatever Jack wished of her; so if Jack wanted to leave him behind, she would probably let him.

Will skidded to a halt, looking up at the figure leaning against the railing of the _Interceptor_. His breath came out in short pants, he having just sprinted an indeterminable distance, and just continued to stare up at the silhouette of Ayisha. She was leaning against the rail, a white lightly transparent cloak flapping gingerly in the wind with the hood drawn over her head, but from his angle, Will had a clear view of her face. Her lips were full and formed in a pout, her eyes shimmering underneath the moonlight. She was holding back tears; and the only way Will noticed was because he had seen her try to hold back tears before, when she tried to explain her complicated relationship with Jack, after he asked her why she stayed with him.

Will noticed a lot of things about Ayisha; she was a lot like him in many ways. Someone who would do anything and everything for the person they love; not caring what would happen to them during the process.

Ayisha withdrew from the rail, and Will headed up the plank, seeing her stare up at the sky,

"Where's Jack?" he asked out loud.

"...resting," Ayisha answered, not looking back at him, and Will noticed the bite in her tone.

Walking up to Ayisha, standing at her side, Will asked in concern, "Is something wrong?"

"...no," Ayisha answered after a brief pause. "I'm sorry that we left you at the tavern. Where is Mr. Gibbs?"

"Uh...resting."

Ayisha giggled, turning her gaze up to Will, and Will stared into her dark eyes, letting his body go lax. Her eyes were filled with various emotions that made Will's mind go hazy. They were so full of wisdom, affection, and...pain? Sadness? Hurt? Will didn't know how long they were in eye-contact, but Ayisha stepped away from him, breaking the eye-contact. "You should rest," she said, tone soft. "I'm sure Jack will want to wake at sunrise."

Will watched Ayisha leave, only to confuse him by climbing up the netting leading up the crows nest. He wanted to ask why she was going up to the crows nest, but he felt disgusted with himself, and he then, with heavy footsteps, went to the cabin that he claimed for himself. The cabin was small, only having a hammock taking up one side of the wall, and a nightstand that had a candle perched on top. Will laid on the hammock, his hands behind his head, and stared up at the ceiling.

What had just happened? He had felt a deep emotion with Ayisha. Seeing the pain in her eyes made _him_ feel pain - like it was _his_ fault that she was emotionally distraught. And he wanted to fix it. He wanted to do something that would make her smile.

Rolling over on his side, Will closed his eyes. He tried to picture Elizabeth in his mind, like he did every night before he went to sleep. But as soon as Elizabeth formed in his mind, Will felt nothing but guilt.

**– **AYISHA, THE NEXT MORNING –****

Ayisha took her time, despite Jack's words that they must make haste, and let him, along with Will, to meet up with Mr. Gibbs and the new members of the crew. She wanted to walk along the beach to clear her thoughts about the events that happened between her and Will the night before. She tried to come up with excuses as to why she liked her time alone with Will, and came up that she was just vulnerable after her conversation with her mother, and her doubt of Jack. Her silence towards Jack was her punishment for him (the ulterior being that she felt too guilty to even face him), seeing as how he was one of the few she actually talked to. She knew that ignoring him would make him antsy and ready to apologize; though he would always say that he didn't do anything wrong to apologize for. And maybe if he would apologize, the bad feeling in Ayisha's gut would go away.

The hood of Ayisha's new cloak was pulled over her head, casting a shadow over most of her face. She walked down the dock, towards Jack, Will, Mr. Gibbs and the new crew, noticing that they were already preparing the dinghies to head back to the _Interceptor_. Hm, seems that she missed the introduction. Coming up to the small crowd, watching the new crew board the dinghies, Ayisha stood at the edge of the dock, waiting for them to settle so that she, too, can board a dinghy that had the least amount of people. Maybe she should have stayed on-board the Interceptor...she hated meeting new people. Especially pirates.

After everyone was settled, all eyes moved towards Ayisha, seeing as how she was the only one left standing on the dock.

"W'ere have ye been?" asked Jack in a demanding tone, standing up in the dinghy he was sharing with Mr. Gibbs and Will, with his balled hands on his sides. "Taken any longer and I would have left ye."

No he wouldn't.

Ayisha was about to step into the dinghy but Jack didn't move aside to make room. Instead he turned around so that he was facing the other dinghies, and the pirates that were on them, and held his hands up in the air. "All right, listen up 'cause I'm only going to say this once." Jack held up a finger, his body lolling forward and back. "This," he gestured to Ayisha who was standing behind him, still on the dock, "is Ayisha, she, is off limits. No touchy whatsoever, ye hear?"

Silence filled the air and Ayisha felt uncomfortable at the stares she was receiving.

"If any one of you touches 'er, or even looks at her in the wrong way - I have no problem throwin' ye overboard in the middle of the sea, savvy?" Jack hitched his thumbs in his pistol holster that was hanging loosely around his waist. "Now…any objections?"

No answer.

"Good," Jack grinned and turned around so that he was facing Ayisha again. Ayisha took Jack's hand that he held out towards her, and let him help her step into the dinghy that he was in. Shakily, because of the swaying of the dinghy, Ayisha managed to plop down next to Will –much to Jack's annoyance– since Mr. Gibbs was almost big enough to take a bench for himself. But Ayisha subconsciously scooted further to the side, away from Will, not noticing that Will did the exact same thing.

"What makes 'er so special?" a feminine voice questioned.

Ayisha was shocked to see that it was a woman who had spoken up; though the mocha skin toned woman looked oddly familiar. Then it hit her. The woman was named Anamaria, a woman whom Jack had temporarily 'wooed' so that he could steal her boat. Ayisha was against the whole thing, feeling guilty about taking someone else boat like that, but Jack ignored her pleas to find another boat and then Ayisha found them sailing out into the sea with yet another stolen boat.

"Because I said so," Jack answered simply, with a curt nod of his head, sitting down on a bench, and Will began to row back to the _Interceptor_.

Ayisha stared out towards the _Interceptor_, the hood still over her head, and a strange sense of dread filling her heart. Now that Jack had a crew, their journey to find the _Black Pearl_ would begin, and Ayisha, because of her sixth sense, felt that they were going to go through a lot of trouble to find Barbossa.

"Darlin'?" Jack's voice laced with concern. Ayisha faced Jack, and even though her hood was shadowing her face, she could tell that Jack knew what she was feeling. "…it's not goin' t' be easy, is it?" He practically read her mind. Ayisha, with a frown on her lips, shook her head. No. It was not going to be easy. "When is it ever?" he responded with a grin on his face. A grin that made all of Ayisha's concern melt away, replacing it with hope.

How could she have ever doubted him? The different auras dealing with the search for the _Pearl_, was messing with her emotions.

"How can you tell?" Will questioned towards Ayisha, his body moving forward and backwards as he pedaled, using the oars.

"Ye don't know about Ayisha's ancestry do ye, lad?" Mr. Gibbs said, using his gruff tone of voice that he used when he told one of his tales. Will shook his head. "Well, I meself only heard rumors because she refuses to utter a word about her past before Jack." Ayisha rolled her eyes at Mr. Gibbs, and Jack gave her a crooked grin, knowing her frustration. Ayisha, too, heard the rumors, and most were false, the rest only half close; and let Mr. Gibb's imagination go wild. "It is said that she is from a place that does not exist because it cannot be found. A place where all your wildest dreams come true. A place of magic." Mr. Gibbs grinned, and Will was caught into his tale, still rowing. "The people there have abilities that we cannot comprehend, and beauty beyond compare that will take your very breath away if they wish it. They know things – _see_ things that we cannot; and Ayisha was their queen. It's said that she was found in the middle of a desert and then sold off into slavery. That is, until Jack found her. He rescued her from her master, saved her from a lifetime of servitude; and in return she became his protector. His all seeing eye." Gibbs finished off in an eerie tone, tapping his temple.

Ayisha shook her head, silently sighing in exasperation, and then realized that Will was not the only person to have heard Gibb's tale of her. The new crew were practically tilting their own dingies over, trying to get closer to Ayisha's boat, to hear Gibb's story.

"None of that is true, lad, don't believe it," said Jack, leaning casually against the boat, inspecting the dirt underneath his nails. He then sat up straight, "Well, the whole she's a queen thing. She gave that up to sail the seven seas with me. The part where I rescued her is completely true." Jack grinned and Ayisha blew air out of her lips. Of course he would say _that _part is true.

Someone from the boat nearest them reached over and pulled Ayisha's hood down, causing Ayisha to gasp in shock, her hand flying to the top of her head.

"Oi, what did I say about the touchin'?" Jack raised his voice, his hands wildly waving in the air, water sloshing into the dinghy.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** A bit of Will/Ayisha (requested by .S Y N T H E T I Cperfection.), and something in Will's P.O.V (requested by Firestar'sneice)

If I write a book, would you guys buy/read it if it ever got published and I tell you about it?

Oh, and what are some of your favorite TV shows and/or movies? I don't have cable, but I do have internet, and I need something to watch whenever I get bored and feel like procrastinating.

And, who's excited for the possibility of a 5th film? Because I sure as hell am! They said that the script is done, but Johnny wants to wait it out a bit - to make it more special. Which I totally agree.  
>Well, I would agree with anything Johnny says actually...<br>Yup, crazy stalker fan girl moment...

_-clears throat;_  
>...Review please...<p> 


	9. It Sounded Like A Good Idea At First

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin__

**Scene Nine:**  
><em>It Sounded Like A Good Idea At First<em>

* * *

><p>Standing at the bow of the <em>Interceptor,<em> Ayisha kept her full attention out towards the open ocean ahead of them. Everything that they needed for a few months out at sea had already been loaded onto the ship, Jack barking orders to the new crew to get the _Interceptor_ moving, echoed in the background. Ayisha's hair lightly wiped around her face at the gentle sea breeze, her cloak that Jack brought her flapping in motion with the gust of wind, and air blew through the open slit of her tunic at her stomach, causing goosebumps to form on her flesh.

The wind was picking up; the first sign of an upcoming storm.

Ayisha tried to focus, tried to keep her mind on track on picking up any signals of future trouble, but her thoughts kept drifting back to the mental link she shared with her mother. Her mother's question of going back home, to Kerma, repeated in her mind. Ayisha shook her head to clear her thoughts. _Now is not the time to think of such things_, Ayisha thought to herself. _I have to help Will save Miss. Elizabeth._ _Yes. Will._ Ayisha felt that she somehow owed Will; he did help her in Port Royal. Will could have turned her in to Norrington, but he didn't. Why? That question, also, has been causing Ayisha to be unfocused.

"Sense anything?" Jack came up from behind Ayisha, leisurely standing next to her. Ayisha turned her head in Jack's direction, her eyes squinting due to the continuous gusts of wind, and shook her head. Jack just nodded, seeming in deep thought himself and then looked out towards the sea. "Storm's coming," he stated, and Ayisha looked at him in bewilderment. She already knew that, but she knew that he knew that she knew that a storm was coming. "Looks like it's going to be a big one, too," he added, prolonging what he really wanted to say. Ayisha hated when he did that. Ayisha always had a knack of reading people, but Jack continued to baffle her, even throughout the years. "I want you to remain in our quarters till it passes."

Ah, there it is.

Ayisha opened her mouth to protest but Jack most likely knew that she wanted to object to his order and interrupted her beforehand. "I know what you're going to say, and the answer is no. You are to stay in our quarters until the storm passes and that's an order, savvy?"

Ayisha locked her jaw in place, giving Jack a stern stare, hoping to ware him down, thus convincing him to let her remain on deck to help while the storm was to take place.

"Listen, love." Jack fully faced Ayisha. "Let's face it; ye know nothing about ships, aye?"

Ayisha didn't bother to answer because she knew that Jack already knew the answer to his own question. No. No, she knew close to nothing about ships, boats, or anything that floats, or how they work. Back in Kerma, since it was an island and no one was allowed to leave, Ayisha spent her whole life on land. She wasn't even allowed to ride in a canoe, in one of their own rivers, without an escort.

"Aye," Jack nodded, taking a step forward so that he was towering over Ayisha, staring down sternly into her eyes. "You would only get in the way." his breath smelled of rum and various spices Ayisha couldn't identify off the tip of her tongue, and Ayisha tilted her head to the side because she knew that he was right. "And it will give me peace of mind to know that you are safe in our quarters and not somewhere lost a sea when ye fall overboard." Jack placed two fingers underneath Ayisha's chin, tentatively moving her head so that she was staring back at him. "It's for your own safety, darlin'."

Ayisha remained in eye contact with Jack, moving his hand away from her face, and then went into the captain's cabin, nearly slamming the door shut behind her. Throwing a silent fit, clenching her hands into fists at her sides and then blowing out a long breath through clenched teeth, Ayisha closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. It wasn't like it wasn't the first time Jack ordered her to stay locked in a room while he went out and did something on his own. But it still bothered her that he always seemed to think that she couldn't take care of herself; that she was some kind of fragile princess that always needed protecting. Even back at Kerma, where she actually was a princess, she could do things on her own that she didn't need help with. Kermanians are brought up to be able to take care of themselves – royal blood or not, and Ayisha has proved it to Jack countless times on their past adventures; yet he still thinks that she needs to be watched over and guarded at all times.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face Ayisha then had a thought come into her head. Pulling the lose strands of her hair, that came undone from her braid, towards her line of sight, Ayisha crinkled her nose at the feel of her greasy locks. Turning her attention down to her grime covered clothes, she deduced that she needed a bath; she didn't remember the last time she took a bath. Looking out of the window, seeing that she still had time before the big storm came, Ayisha left the room to heat up some water for a nice, much needed, bath.

While the water was heating up in the "kitchen" Ayisha opened a door to a room in the captain's cabin that she had yet to check while boarded on the _Interceptor_. It was a bathroom. Small, but it was completed with the necessities: a decent sized tub, wash bucket, and a rack of various soaps. Beaming at the sight of a decent bathroom Ayisha jogged out of the small room and towards the bed, where she kept a bundle of her things, and undid the lace. Peeling open the black sack that she made out the clock she took from the _Dauntless_, Ayisha took in hands, her only other outfit that she had from her home. The clothing was made of silk, the material both smooth and cool to the touch. The tunic reached just a few inches above her knees, the sleeves cutting off right at the wrists, and the trousers were snug so that she could move easier. A brown sash was to be tied around the waist, to hold the outfit together, and a matching top vest was to keep the tunic closed just in case the top laces came undone. It was an outfit that Ayisha's mother, somehow, got to her just after she left with Jack. Tiyy said that she always knew that Ayisha wouldn't stay on the island; that she would go off into the unknown to fulfill her own destiny.

Striping off her dirty clothes Ayisha then slid her aching and tired body into the tub, wincing slightly at the heat, but then letting her muscles relax. Unbraiding her hair, combing her fingers through her dark-brown locks to get rid of most of the tangles, Ayisha took in a deep breath and then went under, completely wetting her hair. Emerging she then reached out of the tub, snatching things from the soap rack and used a bit from every single one just to see how they smelt and what they did to her skin and hair; and it was like heaven: bathing.

Once finished with washing herself up Ayisha then preceded to hand wash the clothes that she once had on. The _Interceptor_ swayed side to side, thunder booming, and the candles Ayisha lit up for light flickered and slid along the counter top; but Ayisha continued to bathe as if nothing abnormal were happening. Her body slid around the tub, water sloshing and spilling onto the floor, and then once the candle stick fell to the floor – thus ridding Ayisha of her only source of light, did Ayisha force herself to get out of the bath and get dressed.

Bare-footed, trying to remain steady as she exited the bathroom, Ayisha secured the sash around her waist and then tied the laces to her tunic and vest. Hanging her clothes to dry by the window, she stared out at the utter chaos of the sea. The waves rose, nearly as high as the ship itself, the rain poured and the thunder and lightning continued to boom and strike. Shouts and screams from the crew up top sent unpleasant shivers down Ayisha's spine. Maybe Jack was right in ordering her to stay in the room. If the crew were as experienced as Mr. Gibb's claimed them to be, and even _they _seemed to have trouble, Ayisha would have surely gone overboard like Jack suspected, if she were to stay on deck. But judging by the shouts Ayisha suspected that she would have a lot of wounds to tend to once the storm passed.

Lifting up her slippers Ayisha held them at a distance; they reeked with sweat and salt water. Sighing she went and dumped them into the water still left in the tub, leaving them to soak, and then went back out to the main room. Going through the dressers and drawers, Ayisha opened a wardrobe and found boots neatly aligned at the bottom. Norrington's clothes still hung neatly on wire hangers, and Ayisha took pleasure in taking a pair of his boots. If they were too big she would simply stuff some paper in them for a better fit. About to take a pair of polished black boots Ayisha paused. Pushing the boots to the side, towards the back of the wardrobe, there were more pairs of boots that were in brown leather. Finding no harm in taking those, instead of the black ones, Ayisha slid her feet into the brown leather boots and wiggled her toes at the free space.

Head perking, Ayisha looked in the direction of the window and saw the sky beginning to clear, the sea calming. The storm was passing. As the gray clouds disappeared, reviling the rising of the sun, Ayisha then heard cheers of glee come from the deck. Thinking that it was safe enough to go back on deck Ayisha left the room and stepped out to the deck. The crew were lined on the sides, peering over the edge, and for good reason.

Hair lose from her braid, Ayisha let her long hair wisp around her face and body, inspecting the wreckage around Isla de Muerta, with a heavy heart. Sailors knew the myth of the treasure there being cursed; Ayisha was the one to warn Jack, but he said that he didn't believe in curses. Perhaps it was Jack's luck that the original crew of the _Pearl_ mutinied against him, saving Jack and Ayisha from the curse.

On the starboard side of the _Interceptor_, Ayisha spotted a few of the crew preparing to release a long boat, Jack and Will standing behind the small crowd. Ayisha's temper flared because she knew that Jack was up to something and was deliberately leaving her out of it, knowing that she would try to talk him out of it because it was most likely a bad plan. Stomping over to Jack and Will, Ayisha ignored the looks she was receiving from the crew members she passed by in her state of anger.

"What are you doing out? I thought I told you to stay in the room?" asked Jack, just noticing Ayisha come up to him.

"Where are you going?" Ayisha demanded, blowing off Jack's question.

"Young Mr. Turner and I are going ashore to save his bonnie lass," Jack answered, turning his attention back to the crew members preparing the long boat.

"I'm coming with you."

"No you're not. You're staying right here."

"I can help!" Ayisha objected, moving around Jack so that she could stare at his face, but he kept turning so that it was a difficult task.

"No you can't. You'll only get in the way."

"You do not know that," Ayisha protested. "I know how to take care of myself, Jack. You know that. You have seen what I can do. I. Can. Help." Ayisha then crossed her arms across her chest defiantly. "I'm coming with you whether you like it or not. I'll swim ashore if I have to."

Jack held up a finger in Ayisha's face, his mouth opening and closing, but no words came out. His hand went back to his side and then he did something that he hadn't done to Ayisha since the first few times they met. Jack hunched over, tossed Ayisha over his shoulder and began to head back to the captain's cabin. Ayisha was stunned into silence, but then once she realized what was actually going on, did she put up a struggle.

"Jack! Jack, put me down this instant." Ayisha wiggled, trying to free herself from his hold, but Jack's grip was tight around her waist. "Jack, you can't do this. You need me and you know it!"

"Exactly, darlin', I need you," said Jack, "Which is why you're going to stay somewhere where I'll know you will be safe." Jack plopped Ayisha down onto the hard wooden floor, stared down at her and said with a serious expression on his face, "I won't put you in anymore danger than I need to." Jack closed the door, Ayisha hearing a distinct 'click' as the door was locked from the outside.

Stumbling to her feet Ayisha began to bang on the locked door, "Jack! Jack, let me out of here! Jack, don't go! …Jack!" Ayisha knew that it was futile. She knew that Jack was probably long gone by then, already rowing towards the island. Leaning against the door, sliding down to the ground, Ayisha couldn't help but let a tear roll down her cheek.

Something was going to happen. Something bad. Something that she could have probably helped in preventing. She didn't know what it was, or if it was just her nerves causing her to worry over Jack, but Ayisha felt even more useless than she had ever been before. Hugging her legs to her chest, burying her head between her knees and chest, Ayisha could do nothing but wait. Wait and pray that nothing would happen and Jack, along with both Will and Elizabeth, would come back to the _Interceptor_, safe and sound.

– **X –**

The sound of the door unlocking caught Ayisha's attention, she lifting up her head from on top of her knees. Springing up to her feet, spinning on the balls of her feet so that she was facing the door, Ayisha waited for Jack to open the door, grin at her and say 'I told you so.' But it didn't happen that way. Instead of Jack, it was Mr. Gibbs who unlocked the door; and by the grim look on his face, Ayisha felt her whole world shatter into a million pieces around her.

She cupped her hand over her mouth to keep in the cry of agony, but it still came, muffled by her fingers. Tears streamed down her cheeks, chest heaving, Ayisha's lips trembled, her head shaking in disbelief.

"No," she whimpered. "No. No. No. No. It can't be…we have to go back. We have to save him!"

"I'm sorry, Ayisha. It was his orders," Mr. Gibbs spoke solemnly. "The crew won't go back."

"W-what about Will? …Is he?"

"He and Miss. Elizabeth made it." Mr. Gibbs, nodded.

Ayisha backed up against a wall, staring down at the floor with dazed eyes. Licking her lips Ayisha moved past Mr. Gibbs and onto the deck. She could feel many eyes of the crew staring at her as her own roamed the deck for Will and Elizabeth. She didn't see them so she went down below deck. Jogging down the steps she heard low murmuring from the cabin of the infirmary. Pressing her ear against the door Ayisha could hear that voices in the room belonged to Will and Elizabeth…and they were talking about Jack.

Bursting in the room, obviously startling both Will and Elizabeth, Ayisha scrutinized every inch of Will's body. He didn't have a single scratch. Anger boiled in the pit of Ayisha's stomach, and that was a bad thing – to piss off a Kermanian. "You," Ayisha growled, pointing an accusing finger at Will. "You didn't even help him, did you?" she exclaimed.

Will rose to his feet from the chair, "He was going to use me to get back his blasted ship!"

"No he wasn't you idiotic buffoon!" Ayisha cried out, slapping Will across the face as hard as she could, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks. "And now he's gone because of you," Ayisha spoke in a hard tone. A tone that she had never used on anyone in her entire life before. Ayisha sobbed, sinking down back to the floor, not caring how ridiculous she looked. "He's gone…"

– **WILL –**

Will stared at Ayisha's still form with solemn, waiting for her to rise to her feet and yell at him some more; but she didn't. Ayisha remained on the ground, slumped against the wall, with tears openly streaming down her cheeks. Will inwardly winced. Ayisha, to him, seemed like the type of person who looked like she didn't like to show her emotions much; who liked to keep a strong appearance. And he was the one to break her down...

He wanted her to scream. He wanted her to shout. He wanted her to hit him; to do _something_ besides looking so helpless. Will didn't even bother to look over his shoulder to look at Elizabeth, because he did not want to see the women, whom he loves with every fiber in his being, see the guilt in his eyes for what he had done to Ayisha. Yes, he could have done something that would have prevented Jack from being captured, or, worse, dead. Will felt disgusted with himself, again. He was the cause for someone being killed (if Jack was killed, that is). He was the cause for Ayisha's visible pain.

Will felt a hand gently cup his shoulder, and looking, he saw Elizabeth give him a soft smile, confusion easily noticed on her delicate features. Will covered Elizabeth's hand with his own, smiling weakly back. In order for him to save his love, he had to get rid of Ayisha's.

...Was it worth it?...

Will kept his gaze on Elizabeth, hoping that seeing her look at him adoringly (like she was at that very moment) would make him feel better; but it didn't. He still felt guilt. He still felt Ayisha's pain as if it were his own. Will laced his fingers with Elizabeth's, and then did something that he thought he would never do...he slid her hand off of his shoulder and then unlocked their fingers so that they were no longer touching. "Will you please give me a moment alone to speak with Ayisha, Elizabeth?" he asked.

Elizabeth looked shocked by Will's request, but she stammered out, making Will feel even worse, "O-of course."

Will watched Elizabeth's retreating figure, as she descended up the stairs leading to the main deck, and then turned his gaze to the almost lifeless form of Ayisha, and kneeled down in front of her. His eyes roamed her figure, not knowing what to do or say; she looked so...he couldn't find the words to describe Ayisha's appearance at the moment since her face showed no expression. Will opened his mouth to speak,

"I have nothing to say to you," Ayisha intervened, head lifting, locking eyes with him. Will felt a cold chill travel up his spine at the look in Ayisha's eyes. She stared at him with such hatred, such... disappointment...that Will had to break their eye contact. "Nothing you say to me will ever make me forgive you for what you have done to Jack."

"I have nothing to say about what I have done," Will replied in a low murmur. "The pain that I have caused you because of my actions pains me like nothing I have ever felt before." Will looked back into Ayisha's eyes. "You have every right to detest me for what I have done." He gulped. "I am sorry." Will didn't know what came over him, but it was as if his hand had a mind of it's own; he raised his hand in the air and brushed aside some of Ayisha's hair that was framing her face, tucking it behind her ear. Ayisha's eyes fluttered closed, another tear trailing down her cheek, which Will was quick to wipe away.

Ayisha chuckled lowly, gently pushing Will's hand away from her face, "It is pathetic how that was the most affection a man has ever shown me. Not even Jack. He always seemed to be ashamed to be seen publicly with me."

"Then he is a fool," replied Will.

Ayisha gazed up at Will, and smiled weakly. "Miss Swann is lucky to have you, Will." her tone sounded strained.

"...Yes." Will shakily gulped, withdrawing his hand back to his side.

Ayisha rose to her feet and left without another word, leaving Will kneeling on the floor, completely baffled. What had he just done? Why did he feel as if his heart were splitting in two? Rising to his feet, Will's eyes were glazed over in deep thought. Maybe Jack was right about what he told him. Maybe he really was a pirate at heart; because what lawful man would leave another person behind for his own selfish reasons? And his selfish action has caused others pain; not just Ayisha, but the crew of the _Interceptor_ seemed to be also affected by Jack not returning with him and Elizabeth.

_What have I done...?_

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** A bit more Will/Ayisha...well a bit one-sided. I totally think that Will could love another woman; it's just that in Port Royal, there wasn't anyone as exciting as Elizabeth, to him, don't you think? And for Ayisha, vise-versa. But this story will remain totally Jack/Ayisha...mostly. lol.

I felt like updating again because you guys are freaking A! And, well, because I'm almost through with all of the documents I have saved up for future chapters of this story. Once I'm done, that's when I have to start typing future chapters out with my noggin. :3

And, I was going to personally respond to your reviews via PM, but most of you had the same questions, so I'll just do it here! Okay, the genre of the book that I am hoping to finish before the world 'ends' in 2012, is supernatural/mystery (and of course you can't forget the romance). And if you're an old reader of mine, then you might love this _-cough cough;DarkFireAngel000-cough cough;_ it features an old OC of mine that a lot of people seemed to love, and could relate to. So, drum roll please...

The title of the book is going to be called: 'Ghost Magnet: The Willow Aickman Story' (please do not take that title. I claim it as my own, muwahahahahaha)

Oh! And thank you for mentioning some of your favorite TV shows/Movies, I will be sure to check them all out because I've heard nothing but good news about those shows.


	10. One Life For Another

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin__

**Scene Ten:**  
><em>One Life For Another<em>

* * *

><p><strong>– <strong>ELIZABETH –<strong>**

Still in shock that Will asked that she leave him and Ayisha alone, Elizabeth descended up the steps leading to the main deck. As soon as she reached the main deck, anger boiled deep with Elizabeth. She saw the look in Will's eye when he was staring at, at..._that_ woman. He wouldn't even look at her when Ayisha came into the cabin, but before, all he did was stare at her, even try to kiss her! If only she let him... Maybe if she did, he would direct his full attention onto her, rather than Ayisha.

Why should Will fell guilty about leaving Jack Sparrow, behind? Simply because Ayisha went all pouty face, and depressed? Ayisha left her behind when she was being taken by the pirates; even after she screamed for her help! If anything, Ayisha was like any other pirate in the sea; only thinking of themselves, and no other. Still in the over-sized maroon dress Captain Barbossa forced her into, Elizabeth lifted the many layers of skirts, and made her way to the quarter deck, where, oddly, a woman was standing at the helm. But before Elizabeth made it all the way to the top, she spotted, from the corner of her eye, Ayisha emerging from below deck, heading up in her direction. Ayisha didn't even look twice at Elizabeth, but Elizabeth didn't care, because soon after Ayisha came out, so did Will, with the same look upon his face as before. He looked up at her, she smiled, and he weakly smiled back at her, but didn't meet her gaze. Frowning, Elizabeth wondered what Will was thinking about when, instead of coming to her, he went in the opposite direction.

******– **AYISHA –********

Ayisha stared out at the open sea, standing on the quarter deck of the _Interceptor_, towards the general direction of the Isla De Muerta; the place where they left Jack. She felt numb, like a piece of her was ripped out and tossed overboard. Just a while ago she was contemplating on going back to Kerma because she doubted her love for Jack; that he was just using her feelings for him like he did with anything he knew he had control over. But, now that he was gone, Ayisha hated herself for ever doubting her love for Jack. He just wanted to protect her. Wanted to keep her safe. Besides, he never verbally told her that he loved her, so why did she even think that he returned her feelings? She was just a nuisance that needed to be watched over constantly because she was naïve to the harsh reality of the real world outside of Kerma.

Feeling a presence walk up beside her, a figure catching the corner of her eye, Ayisha then turned her head to the side seeing Anamaria stare out towards the open sea with her hands resting on the thick wooden pushpit. "…I'm sorry for your loss. Jack was a good man," Anamaria commented as if she were talking about the weather, the subject of Jack's death obviously touchy for both of them.

Ayisha turned her gaze away from Anamaria, back towards the sea. She hadn't spoken a word since her outburst towards Will, though it wasn't unusual since she hadn't spoken to any of the crew members besides Mr. Gibbs. But Anamaria, to her, seemed like the kind of woman Ayisha could relate to. "At least you've got your ship," Ayisha replied, softly, thoughts still in a haze between disbelief and shock. "And since you are now acting captain, I have a request I would like to ask of you." Ayisha's hands balled into fists. "I ask if you can please take me home. I will pay you for your accommodation once we get there."

"You are welcome to stay, but if that is what you wish, then I will comply." Anamaria touched Ayisha's arm before going back to her duties.

The corner of Ayisha's lips lifted as she followed Anamaria's retreating figure, the mocha colored woman standing erect at the helm of the _Interceptor_; she was going to be a good captain. A sudden gust of wind blowing at the back of her head caught Ayisha's attention, her hair flying with the breeze, and eyes widening at the chill that pierced through her body. Sharply facing back towards the open sea, a familiar fog formed in the distance.

"MR. GIBBS!" Ayisha bellowed out at the top of her lungs, switching back and forth between the upcoming fog and the main deck, where Mr. Gibbs was helping secure the ropes for the fore sail. Her sudden shout caught everyone's attention, all eyes of the crew veering in her direction. Instead of shouting again, Ayisha pointed in the direction of the large gray fog that was steadily drawing closer and closer with each passing second. Mr. Gibbs rushed up the stairs, to the quarter deck and beside Ayisha, Anamaria running up beside her, too, all staring at the upcoming fog.

"By God's…ALL HANDS ON DECK!" Mr. Gibbs darted away from beside Ayisha, back to the main deck, where the other crew members stood in confusion at the sudden change in mood.

"…they're coming back for her," Anamaria stated out loud and then rushed back to her post at the helm.

Ayisha turned away from Anamaria, back to the upcoming form of the _Black Pearl_. While Mr. Gibbs was shouting orders to the crew in the background, Ayisha inspected the _Pearl_ from the distance. Her eyes scanned every part of the ship she could see peek out from behind the fog, but her eyes weren't really doing the searching. She was _feeling_ for something. But with all the chaos happening on the _Interceptor_, Ayisha was having trouble in concentrating. Mentally cursing, she darted off of the quarter deck, down the steps, and burst the door of the captain's quarters down.

Grabbing her bow and strapping the quiver to her back, Ayisha then quickly concealed whatever daggers she had left. If she knew Barbossa, then he and his crew would board the _Interceptor_ to search for Elizabeth – though they really should be searching for Will – and Ayisha wasn't going to let them have her without a fight; even though she knew that the crew was cursed. She lost Jack to save Elizabeth, and she'll be damned if she lets them take her back so simply.

Emerging from the captain's quarters, ready to fight, Ayisha was just in time to hear, "Load the guns! Take shot and langrage. Nails and crushed glass! With a will!" Jogging to the port side of the ship Ayisha leaned as far as she could over the side, the _Black Pearl_ closer than she last saw it before preparing herself. "The _Pearl_ is going to luff up on our port quarter. She'll rake us without ever presenting a target."

Ayisha looked towards Mr. Gibbs, the one to shout both statements, and then joined him in climbing up to the quarter deck. "We have to prepare for battle. Barbossa will board," she stated, Anamaria staring at her with a worried expression on her face, her knuckles visibly turning white from gripping the handles of the helm too hard.

"Lower the anchor on the right side," Elizabeth commented in a soft tone, like someone who was thinking deeply as well as speaking at the same time, all eyes turning to the governor of Port Royal's, daughter with raised eyebrows. "On the starboard side!" The young woman raised her voice as if stating the most obvious solution to their problem.

"It certainly has the element of surprise," Will announced, coming up from behind Gibbs and Elizabeth. Ayisha ground her teeth at the sight of him, but pushed aside her anger towards the young man because of the situation they were in, turning her attention back to Anamaria since it was her call.

"You're daft, lady! You both are!" Anamaria shook her head at both Will and Elizabeth.

"...Daft like Jack!" Gibbs let a sly smile slid across his lips, spinning on the balls of his feet so that he was looking down towards the main deck, "Lower the starboard anchor! Do it, ye dogs, or it's you we'll load into the cannons!" He barked the order without Anamaria's consent, Ayisha staring at the woman at the helm. Both women locked eyes. Anamaria had a grim expression on her face, pursing her lips at Ayisha, and Ayisha frowned in response. They had no other choice.

The ship began to turn as the anchor was lowered. "Let go!" Elizabeth ordered to Anamaria, her voice carrying with the gusts of wind.

Anamaria hesitated, glancing at Ayisha one last time, but then withdrew from the helm and stepped back. Ayisha yelped as her body was thrust to the side at the sharp turn the _Interceptor_ suddenly made, her arms wildly gesticulating to grab something to hold onto. She landed on the floor with a hard thud, sliding back until her back collided with the port side of the ship. Scampering to her feet Ayisha then rushed over to Anamaria, who grabbed the handles of the helm again, both of them staring, breath panting, as the _Pearl_ pulled up alongside of them. Anamaria and Ayisha locked eyes as both ships began to fire upon each other, shards of wood trickling down like rain.

Ayisha ducked, something whirling by her head. Snapping herself into action she readied her bow, standing protectively in front of Anamaria, who was attempting to keep the _Interceptor_ steady. Letting go of the bow string, sending her first arrow zooming, Ayisha hit one of the _Pearl's_ crew who attempted to come aboard the _Interceptor_, sending him down to the depths of the sea. A shot went past Ayisha's head and hit another pirate trying to come onto the ship while Ayisha was arming another arrow to the bow string, the barrel of a pistol appearing by her head. Anamaria pulled back the gun, smirked at Ayisha, and Ayisha beamed back.

"You protect the bow, I'll stay here!" Anamaria shouted, reloading her pistol. Ayisha nodded and jogged down the steps, past Gibbs, Elizabeth and Will, who were shooting their own rifles. Narrowly dodging bullets and cannon fire, Ayisha slid on her knees, using the side of the ship as cover, and then stopped next to Marty who was loading the cannon.

Pulling back the string to the bow, about to fire, a cannon ball shot past her and hit the main mast, sending it hurling down. Ayisha screamed as shards of wood scraped against her skin as they flew past her, the mast narrowly missing her and landed on the main deck with a solid thump.

By the time Ayisha collected herself, pirates of the _Pearl_ were already boarded, attacking the crew of the _Interceptor_. Growling she tossed aside her bow and withdrew the daggers within her sleeves. Launching to her feet she attacked the first opposing pirate she laid eyes on. Thrusting her right dagger out, the pirate leaned back and dodged the strike, but Ayisha then spun the dagger in her left hand expertly with her fingers and then thrust the blade into the pirate's chest, pushing on the handle with all her might until he fell back and overboard, into the sea.

Another pirate attacked her causing Ayisha to stagger back until she almost fell overboard herself. With wide eyes she tried to regain her balance so that she wouldn't slip and fall into the water, but then the heel of her boot slid back and Ayisha closed her eyes at the feeling of falling forming in the pit of her stomach. A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, pulling her back onto the _Interceptor_. About to thank whoever saved her, thinking that it was a crew member of the _Interceptor_, Ayisha's smile slid off her face when she caught sight of the large colored man that she knew by the name of Bo'sun.

Ayisha gasped, and Bo'sun grinned. "The cap'n will be happy to see _you_ still alive."

Ayisha tried to pull her arm free from Bo'sun's hold, but his grip only tightened causing her to wince in pain. Bo'sun yanked Ayisha forward, her body colliding to his rock-hard chest, and then pulled her over his broad shoulder; much like Jack had done to lock her in the room. Instead, this time, Ayisha kicked and screamed, pounding her fists on Bo'sun's back. Cheers and shouts of victory rang in the air, but Ayisha had a suspicion that it didn't come from the crew of the _Interceptor_. Bo'sun climbed back on-board the _Pearl_, as did everyone else. Ayisha spotted from the corner of her eye the crew of the _Interceptor_ huddled together as the crew of the _Pearl_ held up pistols and various types of other weapons to them.

"Cap'n, I've got a little present for you," Bo'sun said, and Ayisha's whole body tensed, knowing exactly who Bo'sun was talking to.

Suddenly Ayisha fell roughly to the ground, Bo'sun tossing her off his shoulder carelessly, and while still on all fours Ayisha lifted her head when a pair of black boots came into her view. Hair loose and a knotted mess, Ayisha's breath was ragged when she locked eyes with a smirking Barbossa. Bo'sun roughly grabbed her upper-arm, pulling her back up and onto her feet, and Ayisha gasped in pain as her body was tossed about like a ragdoll by the large man.

"Easy there, Bo'sun," Barbossa stepped closer to Ayisha, brushing aside a strand of her hair, "Don't want to have to harm such a lovely lady, _too_, much." Ayisha glared at Barbossa as he stepped around her, Bo'sun letting go of her arm, and then walked circles around her and barked out an order as he inspected Ayisha from head to toe, "Let's get a movin'! Get us some distance between us and that blasted ship. I've prepared a little show for you lot." Barbossa, again, reached forward to touch Ayisha, but then a voice intervened.

"Ye've already stolen my ship. I'll be damned if I let you touch my lass, again."

Ayisha's head perked, attention snapping to the side as Jack pushed his way through a wall of pirates surrounding the crew of the _Interceptor_. Ayisha couldn't help herself: "Jack!" she shouted in glee, running towards him and latching herself to him, her arms wrapping around his neck and lips pressing against his own.

"All right, that's enough!" Barbossa growled, pulling Ayisha away from Jack, breaking the kiss and embrace. Barbossa pushed Ayisha back to Bo'sun, the large man keeping her still by gripping her upper-arms tightly. "Shoot him!" Barbossa ordered, and almost immediately every crew member of the _Pearl_ pulled out their pistol's and aimed them at Jack.

"No!" Ayisha exclaimed, struggled against Bo'sun, again, her arms growing sore from her trashing. "Don't, please! I'll do anything!"

"Hold your fire!" Barbossa backtracked towards Ayisha, grinning down at her. "Anything, ya say?"

"No-" Jack grunted when the pirate nearest Jack punched him in the gut.

"Now, Jack," Barbossa chuckled, "Ayisha is her own woman – free to do as she wishes – and if she says she will do _anything _to keep you alive, than who am I to deny a lady her wish? … Put him with the rest! And," Barbossa grinned at Ayisha, sending chills down her spine, "Put her in my _personal _quarters." The crew of the Pearl openly hooted and haltered at Barbossa's demand.

Ayisha yelped when Bo'sun lifted her off of the ground, as if she was as light as a feather, and she began to struggle all over again. "Jack!" She shouted, being tossed over Bo'sun's shoulder, seeing him fight against the pirates holding him and the rest of the crew. Soon they were out of view when Bo'sun tossed her into a room and closed the door just as she landed painfully on the floor. "Barbossa, you keep your promise, you hear!" Ayisha banged against the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. Sighing, Ayisha rested her forehead against the door and slump her shoulders in defeat. What was it with men and locking her into rooms?

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** I felt like putting something in Elizabeth's POV, even if it's small; and it seems that Elizabeth is jealous that someone, besides her, is getting attention. Will she take it out of context? Or will she know that she will be the only woman who holds Will's heart?  
>And, oh cheese, Ayisha traded her freedom to save Jack's life! What will happen next? o:<p>

Okay, my lovely readers, I ask if you can please direct your attention to a brand new story that my friend wrote. It is her first fanfiction posted on this site, so, be kind, and take a look - you might even like it! It's a fanfic about the show Ghost Adventures, on Travel Channel. So, if any of you like Zak, the head investigator from the show, go take a look at .S Y N T H E T I Cperfection. 's profile. The link to her account should be on my favorite authors. Please, and thank you :)


	11. It Was All For You

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin__

**Scene Eleven:**  
><em>It Was All For You...<em>

* * *

><p>Sitting erectly on one of the elegant chairs decorating the captain's quarters, Ayisha kept her gaze straight ahead of her, eyes hazed over; she was letting her imagination get the best of her as she thought of what Barbossa could be doing to the crew of the <em>Interceptor<em>. She gave up her freedom to save Jack, but the crew didn't even cross her mind _once_. If she were thinking straight, and not letting her feelings for Jack get the best of her, than she would have added the crew's safety in exchange for her imprisonment as well. The sound of a door unlocking caused Ayisha to sharply look in the direction of the entrance to the captain's quarters. Barbossa was entering, and the pirate Ayisha remembered as Pintel, was close behind him with a silver platter filled with various fruits in his hands.

"I thought that you might be hungry," said Barbossa, sitting across from Ayisha at the dining table.

Ayisha remained silent, eyes unnerving as she stared at Barbossa. Pintel placed the silver platter on the table, in front of her, and poured some red liquid into a golden goblet and then left as soon as he was done. Barbossa grinned, the sight of his yellowing teeth caused Ayisha to divert her gaze to the pile of fruit beautifully arranged in front of her. The low rumble in her stomach wanted her to reach forward and grab one of the delicious looking grapes, but her pride kept her hands neatly folded on her lap.

"I should have listened to you and your warning." Barbossa's heavy footsteps could be heard. "But I doubted that little _gift_ of yours…I shall not make that mistake again," he said, and since Ayisha refused to no longer acknowledge Barbossa, a sudden, soft tug at her hair made her gasp in surprise, her back going rigid, but she didn't stop Barbossa from combing her hair. She could feel his fingers lacing themselves in her thick, dark brown locks, and from her peripheral, saw him breathe the scent of her hair in deeply. Ayisha then regretted taking a bath and using all of the different scented soaps she found in Norrington's bath. "You will be my eyes for the unseen. _My_ compass … Jack never knew what he had in you." Barbossa continued to brush her hair, Ayisha feeling uncomfortable by his close proximity. "All those years ago I watched you from afar. With him. Tell me, Ayisha, has Jack changed since the mutiny?" There was a slight pause. "Ah, he didn't, did he?" Barbossa read through Ayisha's silence,

"What have you done to him?" she murmured, fingers nails digging into her palms.

"Nothing that I haven't done before."

Ayisha felt the air leave her lungs. Jack was already gone? She was about to ask about the crew, but was interrupted by heavy foot steps coming into the room. Ayisha slumped lower in her seat at seeing the large form of Bo'sun. Bo'sun cleared his throat and Barbossa halted in combing Ayisha's hair,

"We are coming up to the island," Bo'sun informed, but not before he passed Ayisha a broad grin, knowing that he had an effect on her.

"Did I give you permission to enter MY quarters?" Barbossa snapped at Bo'sun. Ayisha lifted her chin to see the look of anger that had passed across Barbossa's face. "Get out before I gut ye myself, you blasted fool!"

The corner of Ayisha's lips lifted at Barbossa's threat towards Bo'sun; she found it amusing to see such a man as Barbossa bossing around a large person like Bo'sun. As much as Barbossa looked scary, Bo'sun was twice his size and looked like he could easily over power Barbossa if he wanted to, and Ayisha didn't doubt that the thought may have crossed Bo'sun's mind when she saw the large man clench his jaw, but, nonetheless, left the room.

Barbossa placed a hand on Ayisha's shoulder, taking a strand of her hair with him as he began to walk around her. "Soon, I will be able to actually feel you…smell you …" He brushed the strand of Ayisha's hair underneath his nose, and then traced his finger tips down Ayisha's cheek. "…taste you."

Ayisha shuddered at Barbossa's tone of voice. It was husky – lustful. No man had ever touched her in an intimate way besides Jack, and she didn't find the thought of Barbossa touching her, the way Jack did, pleasant at all. She watched Barbossa as he headed towards a wardrobe, opened it and pulled out a very familiar maroon dress. The dress that Elizabeth was wearing the last time Ayisha saw her. But if the young Elizabeth Swann wasn't wearing it anymore … where was she?

"Remember when I bought this for you?" Barbossa gently laid out the dress on the table, in front of Ayisha. "Fine looking piece of clothing, is it not?" He ran the tip of his finger across the velvet material. "You refused it. You said that you did not wear things from the outside world. Outside of the home that you abandoned to be with Jack."

The words Barbossa used struck a cord in Ayisha; her heart dropped in her chest and her face went ashen. She didn't abandon her home for Jack … right? Her mother understood that she left for love. Shabako was the oldest, so he was next in line for the throne – not Ayisha. She wasn't needed … She wasn't needed … She wasn't needed...

Barbossa continued to speak. "I can be a very hospitable man, but if you continue your little silent treatment, I will treat ye the way I treat a whore in Tortuga." He practically shoved the dress into Ayisha's arms. "I would very much like to see you wearing this when I lift this blasted curse off of me and my crew. _Welcome to the real world_," he whispered into Ayisha's ear. Ayisha's eyes burnt with unshed tears, flinching when she heard the door slam shut as Barbossa left.

_Half of her body han__ged over the edge of one of the long boats of the _Wicked Wench_, a broad smile spread across her face. Just in view of sight, was her home. The buildings made of perfectly shaped, rectangle or square stones glistened in the sun. Golden statues of the guardians protecting the island gleamed, reflecting a bright light from the rays of the sun. __The boat jerked slightly when they reached shore__. Ayisha sprinted off of the boat and into the shallow water. Darting forward, her eyes fixated on her parents, and her eldest brother Shabako, who seemed to know of their arrival, Ayisha ran straight into the open arms of her father, __Taharka, and he lifted her off of the ground, spinning her in circles in the air._

_Parting from her father, Ayisha glanced to her side, before turning her gaze back to him, noting that her mother, Tiyy, was in a motherly embrace with Aniba. "It is good to have you back home, __Amenirdis," Shabako smiled at Ayisha, using her real name, and nodded in his own affectionate way.__ _

_"It is good to be back," Ayisha responded, nodding back. Taharka, Ayisha's father, then looked over Ayisha's shoulder, and she followed his gaze, seeing Jack, with whatever little crew he had left, standing on the beach, watching the interaction with great interest. __Once Ayisha locked eyes with Jack, the smile slid off of her face, replacing with a look of concern. But before she could even speak, Taharka stepped around her and moved towards Jack,_

"_You have brought my children safely home, I thank you." Taharka nodded, his hand clamped over Jack's shoulder. "And in gratitude I give you a place to rest before your long journey back home." Taharka then faced the large crowd that met Ayisha, Aniba, and the remains of the crew of the _Wicked Wench_ at the beach, and he raised his gold staff in the air. "Tonight – we celebrate the return of our prince and princess!"_

_Cheers and shouts filled the air, all of the Kermanians' running off to prepare for the ceremony. Tiyy walked up next to Ayisha and began to lead her away from the beach. Ayisha looked over her shoulder the entire time her mother led her away from Jack, her face grim._

_Ayisha, after hours of being scrubbed down__ by servants, only to be painted on, sat at her throne that was beside her elder brother, Shabako, whom's throne was right beside their father. One leg was crossed over the other, the gold and black paint covering Ayisha's entire body causing her great discomfort; but she continued to dwell in her thoughts. The celebration of her and Aniba's return had already begun, a great fire lighting up the whole occasion since the sun had already disappeared. But, yet, there was no sign of Jack or the crew. __Scanning the crowd, Ayisha placed her hands on the gold armrests of her throne and drummed her fingertips against them. She understood the reason why _she_ took a long time to prepare (the black symbol-like nets painted on her body had to be completely precise), but there was no reason as to why Jack or the crew to not already be at the celebration._

_That's when she glanced up, seeing _him_ with the rest of the crew, all of them sitting down on a thick log, watching the people dancing around the bonfire. Now Ayisha knew why she hadn't noticed them out of the rest of her people: h__is hair was no longer tied back, but was now falling loosely at the top his shoulders. Gold and black was just noticeable from the soft light the bonfire casted upon him, signaling that the__ people, too, had painted him, but from where Ayisha was sitting, the marks didn't look like the ones doted on her body. He was dressed in a white, loose, tunic, with the front completely open (most likely because he was too lazy to do the string that tied the front end closed), and had on a necklace with various gold pieces being held together by a black lace._

_Ayisha stood from her throne, the golden beads woven in her hair keeping her hair straight, clinking together as she rose. She stepped off of the platform that the thrones were set up on, and onto the soft ground, walking straight towards the man that had somehow bewitched her. __The golden loincloth Ayisha was wearing bounced against her thighs, and Jack spat up the liquid he was drinking from a goblet as he spotted her coming, and once Ayisha was standing in front of him, he gawked at her, causing the corner of Ayisha's lip to rise._

"_Care to dance?" Ayisha outstretched her hand towards Jack._

_Jack wordlessly took Ayisha's hand and Ayisha led him a little ways to the side – away from the dancing crowd surrounding the bonfire. The rhythm of the drums, and various other instruments, took control over Ayisha's limbs, her body slowly moving with the beat. Neither she nor Jack broke eye contact, a small smile forming on Ayisha's lips as she danced closely to Jack. __S__he took in the golden paint that seemed to go well with Jack, the dark kohl around his eyes suiting him perfectly. He looked more rugged than neat and proper that he usually was while they were on-board of the _Wicked Wench_. Inspecting the different markings on his chest, she recognized them as a cleansing ritual. On the center of his chest, was a circle with the hieroglyph of the Goddess of Forgiveness._

"_Riding you of your past sins," Ayisha murmured, tentatively tracing her finger around the marking. "Once you wash this off, so will your sins.__ It is meant to absorb you of all of your sins, offering it to the Goddess of Forgiveness, to, well, forgive you."_

_Jack looked down at the drawing on his chest. "Is that what that means? I thought that was just to make me look pretty. Well, _more_ pretty. What do yours mean?" Jack trailed his finger tips down Ayisha's arms, causing her to shudder._

"_To catch the sins before they enter my soul," she answered, almost breathlessly. "To keep my soul pure," she added, her voice just above a whisper. She got lost in Jack's dark colored, soulful, brown eyes; reading the emotion pouring out of them. Memories of their time together out at sea, he teaching her about the outside world out of Kerma, filled Ayisha's mind, causing her heart to ache that she would no longer see him after he left._

_Her body moved closer to Jack's, their bodies moving in sync, her hips swaying side to side in rhythm of the music currently playing. She pressed her chest to his, her head tilted up, staring at him, just as he was her._

"_Stay with me," Ayisha murmured softly, her lips mere centimeters from Jack's. _

"_You know I can't do that, darlin'," Jack answered, his warm breath blowing gently against Ayisha's face. She could smell the scent of various spices. Jack's fingers brushed some of Ayisha's hair behind her ear, his hand cupping her cheek and sliding down to her chin. _

"_You will be safe here. He cannot find you if he does not know where _here_ is," Ayisha argued, talking about Cutler Beckett. _

"_That isn't what I meant." Jack's lips twitched__, trying to form a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "My life belongs to the sea."_

"_But I don't want you to leave," Ayisha stubbornly replied. "You can have anything you want here: Money … power … me." _

_Jack stared down at Ayisha, and she vice versa__. He dipped his head down low, capturing Ayisha's lips, into their first kiss. She felt a wave of warmth spread throughout her body, her hands clutching the sleeves of his tunic, his hands grabbing a fist full of her hair. _

– _**X –**_

_Ayisha awoke, sharply sitting up on her bed, the smooth sheets covering her naked flesh. Turning her head down, to the side, hoping to see Jack still next to her, her heart dropped when she saw the other side of her bed empty. Looking out of the large opening that led to the terrace, Ayisha's eyes widened when she noticed the position of the sun, signaling that it was perhaps between mid-morning or early afternoon. _

_Rushing out of bed, and onto the terrace, Ayisha's jaw slacked when she saw the vague silhouettes of the crew of the _Wicked Wench_ boarding the long boats. They were leaving …_

_Ayisha quickly dressed into a loose fitting pair of white trousers and tunic with gold trimming. She pushed past the servants that tried to stop her because she wasn't 'properly' prepared to leave her room. Ayisha didn't care about the stupid paint and drawings that would 'catch' the sins before entering her soul. Without Jack, she would feel nothing – _be_ nothing. _

"_Ayisha?" the voices of Tiyy and __Taharka, her parents, questioned Ayisha, as she darted past them in the long, narrow hallway, but Ayisha ignored them, her mind set on getting to Jack in time to say goodbye. It was the least he could do for her._

_By the time Ayisha made it to the beach, she could see the crew, and Jack, climb onboard the _Wicked Wench_, but that didn't stop her._

"_JACK!" She called, wadding as fast as she could into the water. He couldn't leave. Not without her. "JACK!"_

"_Ayisha!" the voices of Ayisha's family could be heard from the shore; but by then, she was already swimming towards the _Wicked Wench_. __Ayisha ignored the continuous calls coming from the beach, telling her to go back. But she didn't want to,_

"_Jack!" she called out again._

"_Ayisha?__ Ayisha – what in bloody hell are you doing?" Jack exclaimed, and then Ayisha distinctively heard a splash soon after. He met her half-way. Ayisha wrapped her arms around his neck, and Jack enfolded an arm around her waist as he helped her stay afloat. "Are you _mad_? You could have drowned!" shouted Jack_

"_You can't leave – not without me," Ayisha responded, spitting out salt-water from her mouth. Jack just looked at her in shock._

Ayisha smiled softly to herself, her body swaying side to side because of the gentle waves rocking the long boat she was sharing with Barbossa, Bo'sun and Will. Apparently, after Ayisha gave up her freedom for Jack, Will came to the _Pearl_ and exchanged _his_ life for Elizabeth and the crew of the _Interceptor_. All previous dislike for Will, and what he did to Jack, went away.

The maroon dress that Elizabeth was once wearing felt loose on Ayisha's body, the top of the dress slipping off of her shoulders. She gave up her life on Kerma to be with Jack; and her parents didn't hold it against her that she left, but they were sad to see her leave nonetheless. But after Jack helped Ayisha the rest of the way to the _Wicked Wench_, she thought that everything was going to be perfect. She was going to be with Jack and sail the seas with him. But, apparently, nothing can be perfect. After Beckett branded Jack as a pirate, for what he did for _her_, Jack changed. Yes, he was still the same man Ayisha fell in love with all those years ago, but, slowly –much to Ayisha's displeasure– that man was disappearing. And it all started when Jack made that deal with Davy Jones.

In exchange for the resurrection of the _Wicked Wench_, now known as the _Black Pearl_, Jack sold his soul. He would be captain of the _Black Pearl_ for 13 years, and once the 13 years passed, he would serve Davy Jones on-board his ship for **100** years.

Ayisha walked past Barbossa, ignoring his offered hand to help her off of the long boat, and hitched up the many layers of her dress, following the other crew members of the _Pearl_ deeper inside of the cave. She stared at all the piles of gold and silver in awe, never in her life seeing so much treasure in one place. Of course, she had treasure back at Kerma, but she wasn't allowed in the vault in which the treasure was kept because everything they needed was up top, where they lived.

A pair of pirates roughly pushed past Ayisha with Will in tow and his wrists bound with rope. She frowned and stayed behind. The crew of the _Pearl_ surrounded a mountain of gold, a chest perched at the very top. She watched helplessly as they forcefully dragged Will up towards the chest, Barbossa standing proudly beside it. The crew of the _Pearl_ cheered and hooted that they were finally going to break their curse.

"Bring forward my prize!" Barbossa hollered, finger pointed in Ayisha's direction, and immediately she, too, was forcefully dragged up the mountain of gold to stand next to Barbossa. Barbossa grinned at her, leaned over, towards the chest, and dropped the last cursed piece of the Aztec gold. The cheers and holler grew louder.

Bo'sun grabbed a hold of the back of Will's neck, and forced Will to bend over so that his head was just over the open chest of gold coins. Ayisha gasped and turned her head to the side and clamped her eyes shut, when Barbossa lifted a knife to in the air and began his stupid speech before he would slice open Will's throat,

"Begun by blood! By blood un-" Barbossa trailed off, Ayisha opening her eyes.

"Jack!" came Will's voice.

Snapping her head up, Ayisha's jaw dropped when the figure of non-other than Jack Sparrow pushed his way in front of the chanting pirates.

"S'not possible," Barbossa muttered in disbelief.

_Jack!_ Ayisha thought in glee, her heart leaping in her chest.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** A bit more AU from the book, sorry, but, like I said, I had the first few chapters written out before the book came out.

Did you hear? There is going to be a 6th movie! SIX! They haven't even made the fifth one yet, but Disney is planing on a sixth PotC movie! Holy Shinzets! I'm so freaking excited :D

Oh, and thank you all. We've reached 100 reviews!  
>-parties;<br>You guys are the best!


	12. He Loves Me He Loves Me Not?

****The Price of ƒ **я** e e d o м**  
><strong>A PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN FANFICTION

_The Price of ƒ я e e d o м © xoxoMyRealityIsFiction_  
><em>Pirates of the Caribbean © Disney<br>_Ayisha/Amenirdis © A.C. Crispin__

**Scene Twelve:**  
><em>He Loves Me. He Loves Me Not?<em>

* * *

><p>Ayisha slowly inched away from Barbossa while Jack climbed up the hill of gold, but Barbossa only pulled her back, roughly grabbing her elbow and yanking her to his chest. Glowering up at him, she noticed that his heated gaze was fixated on Jack's figure. Jack was halting his ritual <em>yet<em> again. Though, Ayisha wondered if Jack's words were true: that Norrington and the Royal Navy were floating offshore on the _Dauntless_; or if he was just pulling another one of his schemes.

"Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the _Dauntless_. They do what they do best." The crew of the Pearl all chuckled in agreement at Jack's statement, Ayisha's face falling in concern. What was Jack pulling? "Robert's your Uncle, Fannie's your Aunt – there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. 'Course you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the _Pearl_? ... Name me Captain, and I'll sail under your colours, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder and you get to introduce yourself as, _Commodore_ Barbossa. Savvy?" Jack grinned in satisfaction, his thumbs hitching inside of his pistol holster.

Ayisha gaped. All of this, just to get the _Pearl_ back? What lengths was Jack willing to go to be the captain of the _Black Pearl_ again? Suddenly, she didn't feel so secure about him anymore. She looked up at Barbossa with wide, fearful eyes, wondering on what his decision would be. Would he take Jack's offer? But what of her? What if Barbossa agreed, but only if he got to keep her? Would Jack agree to that deal? Ayisha's heart dropped at the thought.

"I s'pose in exchange, you want me _not_ to kill the whelp," said Barbossa, eyeing Jack with uncertainty.

"No, no, not at all – by all means, kill the whelp." Jack waved his hand dismissively in Will's direction. Ayisha passed quick glances at Will, seeing him bristle and struggle against the hold of Bo'sun. "Just not yet," Jack continued. "Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment. For instance–" Jack dipped his hand into the chest containing the Aztec gold and scooped some of the medallions out, dropping them back into the chest one by one, his face serious "–after you've killed Norrington's men. Every. Last. One."

The color drained from Ayisha's face.

Jack _never_ killed unless it was the only option left. But, now, he was going to let Barbossa's cursed, un-killable, men kill innocent soldiers that were just doing as ordered. And that's when Ayisha found that her fear about Jack came true. The man that she fell in love with … no longer existed. Now … there was nothing left but a measly _pirate_.

Ayisha, again, was yanked to Barbossa's chest. "I get to keep the girl," he stated firmly, as if there were no option for Jack to disagree. Ayisha's jaw slacked, her wide eyes veered to Jack. He was going to say 'no', she knew it. She just knew it. He had to. But the look on his face caused her eyes to water. Why hadn't he said 'no' yet? Was he actually _thinking_ about it? Ayisha shook her head in disbelief at Jack.

"… agreed."

Ayisha's heart shattered into a million pieces, the unshed tears in her eyes burning. She locked gazes with Jack, wondering why – how? – he would do something like this to her. She did everything for him! She gave up her throne – her life – _for him_, and he traded her off for a wretched _**boat**_? Ayisha broke the gaze between her and Jack, her body slumping in defeat, counting on Barbossa to hold up her entire weight, but he didn't, and her body sagged down on the golden hill, her loose hair shrouding her dejected face.

"We have an accord." Barbossa's laugh of triumph bounced off of the walls of the cave. Ayisha tuned in out and out, getting lost in her erratic thoughts. Barbossa then ordered his men to take care of Norrington and the _Dauntless_, the low chanting and shuffling of the crew of the _Pearl_ leaving the cave barely audible to Ayisha's ears.

_How could he do this to me? I thought…_ Ayisha's lips trembled, tears trailing down her cheeks, droplet by droplet, and falling down onto the skirt of the maroon dress. She sniffled wetly but didn't move to wipe away a single drop. A glint of light in front of her face interrupted Ayisha's thoughts. Looking up, her face still hidden behind her long dark locks, she was surprised to see Barbossa dangling a beautiful piece of jewelry in her line of sight. It was a gold necklace, a trail of diamonds leading to a large, oval ruby at the center. Lifting her head at the sight of the necklace, Barbossa brushed aside her hair and then put the necklace around her neck,

"Only the best for _my_ woman." He smirked, and then lifted Ayisha's still shaking hand, slipping on a ring that matched the necklace perfectly: a large ruby at the center, surrounded by diamonds. And the corner of Ayisha's lips rose slightly at his kindness. She never knew that he had a romantic side. When he would try to get her attention while he was the first mate on board the _Black Pearl_, he only tried to show off in front of her by giving her the biggest and most expensive things he'd stolen. Never did he treat her like he was doing just now.

A loud crash broke Barbossa and Ayisha's 'intimate' moment. Ayisha turned her head to the side to see Jack fumbling with various treasures from Barbossa's previous plunders. She glared at him when he faced her and Barbossa, inwardly delighted when she saw him lock his jaw at the sight of her and the mutineer.

_Serves him right_, Ayisha thought, turning her nose up and into the air in a snobbish manner.

"Pick anything ye like, my dear. What's mine is yours." Barbossa's finger tips lingered across Ayisha's chin before he got up from his kneeling position, passing Jack a pompous grin.

Ayisha bit her bottom lip, eyes scanning across the piles of treasure filling the cave. Anything she liked, eh? She wasn't a greedy woman, but she liked that she could have a variety of things. During her sweep, mentally picking out the things she wanted, her eyes landed on Will, who was still held captive. She frowned. Will caught her eye, his eyes filled with an emotion Ayisha couldn't name. And then suddenly it hit her, like a ripple passing through her body, causing her to silently gasp.

Something was afoot.

As she was sharply rising to her feet, that was when it happened. A loud splash caught her attention– she snapped her head in its direction, and saw Jack kick a pirate down, and then throw Will the sword in which he took from said pirate. Jack then lunged in her direction, but Barbossa blocked his path. Ayisha yelped and fell back onto the pile of gold at the sudden move.

Barbossa and Jack clashed blades. Each had the same amount of expertise … but Barbossa couldn't die …

"Ayisha!" shouted Will.

Ayisha switched her gaze from Jack and Barbossa, to Will, just in time to catch the hilt of a sword in mid-flight. At first, Ayisha didn't move and just stared at the blade in her hand in confusion, not knowing what to do. But her mind was made up for her when another pirate that had stayed behind, attacked her. She was just in time to block his blade from coming overhead.

"Don't attack her ye fool!" Barbossa managed to shout while still in combat with Jack. "Get the boy! Get the boy!"

The pirate halted in his actions, but stared at Ayisha, as if daring her to make a move. And in response, Ayisha dropped the sword from her hand, it clanking to the ground, causing the pirate to grin at her and then do as ordered – "getting the boy."

Ayisha looked back at Will, seeing him now in combat with three pirates, but he seemed to be holding his own well enough. She then looked back at the still fighting pair, Jack and Barbossa. Her breathing grew heavy, her mind going awry. What was going on? She didn't know what to do. If there was some sort of plan, why wasn't she included? Did Jack give her away to Barbossa, or not?

And then, as if it were in slow motion, Barbossa knocked Jack to the ground. He tossed his sword to the side and boasted about the fact that he couldn't die – that Jack couldn't kill him, so whatever he was doing, was futile. Jack rose to his feet and stabbed Barbossa, right in the chest, where his heart should have been. But all Barbossa did was stumble back a bit, and then looked down at the sword sticking out of his body. He sighed, his shoulders slumping as he looked at Jack in exasperation. He then, in a swift, jerky movement, yanked the sword out of his body and stabbed Jack in the same spot in which Jack stabbed him … in the chest.

"NO!" Ayisha screamed out at the top of her lungs. "JACK!"

Again, it was like everything was in slow motion. She ran towards Jack as he was stumbling back, but her feet weren't moving as fast as she willed them to be. And in that moment, when she thought that he was going to die right in front of her, Ayisha felt as if her whole world came crumbling down, again. But this time, it hurt ten times more than him handing her over to Barbossa.

Ayisha skidded to a stop, nearly tripping over the many layers of her dress – Jack had stumbled back into a beam of moonlight, but instead of him remaining full bodied and near death, his clothes were tattered and his bones glowed eerily in the moonlight.

A golden medallion skilfully ran across his fingers.

"So that was his plan all along," Ayisha whispered to herself, not knowing if she should be happy, or mad. Will seemed to know of the plan. How come she didn't?

"Ayisha!" called Will, again.

Ayisha looked back and forth between Jack and Barbossa, who had begun fighting again, and Will, who seemed to be having trouble in fending off the three pirates. And she, although still livid, picked up the sword that she dropped and left Jack to handle Barbossa, going to aid Will – however, she tripped over the blasted dress, _again_, staggering to remain on her feet. That was exactly why she didn't like to wear anything that wasn't originated from Kerma. Huffing, Ayisha began to hastily cut at the many layers of the dress. Sighing in satisfaction, the dress now reaching just above her knees, she darted forward again, shouting out a battle cry as she attacked the pirate that was coming up from behind Will.

"It's about time." Will's breath was ragged; he and Ayisha were now back to back as they fended off the three pirates.

"I was a bit conflicted for the moment," Ayisha answered, blocking another attack. "We cannot win you know."

"We just have to hold them off awhile longer," Will grunted, but then Ayisha felt his back go rigid. "Oh, no. Duck!"

"What?" asked Ayisha, but Will already tackled her to the ground, a loud **boom** sounding a few feet away from them. Broken pieces of gold and silver trickled down on them like rain. Ayisha lifted her head, blowing strands of hair away from her face as she scrambled back up and onto her feet. Will stood right beside her, she having lost her sword, and then realized that he, too, lost his sword. Great.

"I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain," said a pirate, grinning evilly, lifting his sword over his head, ready to strike.

Ayisha gripped the sleeve of Will's tunic, ready for the blow, but an unlikely voice that she hadn't expected to hear for the rest of her life, intervened–

"Do you like pain?" Elizabeth asked, coming to the rescue, and smacked the pirate over the head with a heavy looking staff. "Try wearing a corset," she added as the pirate fell to the ground in a heap, smiling at Will, and he vice versa. Ayisha felt as if she were in the way as Will and Elizabeth shared that loving gaze. She smiled softly. She wished Jack looked at her like that …

A loud roar jolted Ayisha from her thoughts; a pirate was charging straight at her with club of some sort, and before she could react, her head snapped in the direction of the blow inflicted on her. She fell to the ground like a sack of potatoes, and her vision went black.

– **JACK –**

Jack stared down at the stiff body of Barbossa, just to make sure that he was _really_ dead. Blood soaked through the grim covered tunic, his eyes open and vacant of any signs of life. Hovering over Barbossa, Jack knelt down and picked up the green apple that had fallen from his hand. "Sorry 'bout that, mate." Jack patted Barbossa's shoulder. "But I wasn't about to let you run me over again." Jack then spotted something else – something _shiny_ – that was peeking out from the pocket flap of Barbossa's coat. And Jack, loving shiny things, naturally, removed the shiny object from his pocket. He froze, his hand balling into a tight fist around the delicate piece of jewelry.

A diamond ring.

_Ayisha_. Barbossa must have really loved her. That damn bloody scallywag, he's making him look bad.

Jack lifted his head, searching the cave for the woman who had stuck with him through thick and thin. Put up with all of his wrongs. The woman who he had yet to tell his _true_ feelings about. It was a miracle that she hadn't left him yet. A pang of guilt formed in the pit of his stomach as he remembered the look of anguish on Ayisha's face when he told Barbossa that he could have her in exchange for the _Pearl_. He didn't mean it. He would never give Ayisha up for anything. Not even for the _Black Pearl _… right? Jack felt disgusted with himself when he felt mixed feelings about the thought of choosing between the _Black Pearl_ and Ayisha. Did he really love the _Pearl_ more than he did Ayisha?

Did he even love Ayisha?

Jack halted in his steps; his last thought hung in the air as he spotted something that made his stomach churn. He shook his head in disbelief, thinking that he was just imagining the sight before him. There, on a mountain of treasure, lay the limp body of the woman he was just thinking about: her head was turned to the side, facing away from him, and her hair sprawled in all directions. Her arms were spread open at her sides, her bare legs bent in awkward looking positions – but that wasn't the part that made the color drain from Jack's face: blood lightly trailed down the side of Ayisha's face.

Jack dropped heavily to his knees, his hands retracting every time he attempted to touch her. He was afraid that she might feel cold. Sucking it up, Jack tentatively touched the opposite side of Ayisha's cheek, turning her head around so that he could have a clear view of her face.

"Ayisha?" Jack lifted the sleeve of his tunic to the middle of his palm, gingerly wiping the blood from Ayisha's forehead. "Darlin', it's time to wake up – everything's over." Jack gulped when Ayisha remained motionless. "I didn't mean it, love. I would never…" Jack trailed off. He didn't know how to complete that sentence since he, himself, didn't know if he would actually trade her for the _Pearl_. He didn't even want to think about choosing between his beloved _Pearl_ and Ayisha.

"Wake up, darlin'." Jack's lips twitched, trying to form a smile as he stared down at his beautiful Ayisha. He brushed aside some of the hair sticking to her face, grimacing at the sight of clotting blood on the side of her head. He should have watched over her better. If he had, she wouldn't be in this state. She would be awake and well, smiling at him, and telling him that she always knew he would do the right thing.

"Jack?" the tentative voice of Elizabeth asked.

Jack looked over his shoulder towards Will and Elizabeth, the limp form of Ayisha in his arms. "She's fine," he replied. "She's just … got hit a little too hard and is … resting."

"We should take her back to the _Dauntless_, for proper care. We have a doctor on-board," said Elizabeth.

"No, we'll take her back to the _Pearl_," argued Jack, rising to his feet with Ayisha in his arms.

"Jack…" Elizabeth glanced at Will before frowning at Jack. "The _Black Pearl _… she's gone. I tried to make them come and help, but … they took the ship and left. I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack's fingers curled around the thick fabric of Ayisha's dress, his jaw visibly locking in place. What bloody timing to abandon him! "They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that." Jack spoke in a monotone tone.

Blasted pirates.

– **X –**

"She'll be fine, Jack," Will tried to encourage as he rowed the boat to the _Dauntless_, but Jack could hear the tone behind Will's words of encouragement; he, too, was worried for Ayisha.

Jack, never looking up from Ayisha's still frame, smiled slightly. "Aye. She'll be fine. Just fine and dandy for her to wake up- only to be hanged for being around a pirate."

"I'll do all I can, Jack," Elizabeth spoke softly, placing a comforting hand on Jack's. His hand rested on Ayisha's thigh, his forearm still tucked underneath her legs.

"It won't do any good; but you already knew that, didn't you?" The corner of Jack's lips rose as he looked up at Elizabeth, seeing the look of despair on her young face. "Don't waste your time on me, love. I deserve to be sent to the gallows. Just do what you can for Ayisha."

"… I heard that."

– **AYISHA –**

Ayisha groggily opened her eyes, trying to ignore the dull, pulsating pain on the side of her head. She blinked up at Jack, smiling weakly at him.

"I knew that–" she gulped, her throat feeling dry "–that you wouldn't fail me. I'm– I'm sorry that I doubted you. I should– I should have known about your plan. I should have felt it." But since her emotions got the best of her, they clouded her judgment – her sixth sense. That was the only downside of her ability. She always had to keep a clear head in order to naturally use it.

"Quiet, darlin', you need to reserve your strength to get better," said Jack, not letting Ayisha budge from his hold.

The boat stopped rocking, and Ayisha, much to her displeasure and pain, turned her head to the side, seeing the tall wall of neatly polished wood. "The _Pearl_?" she questioned out loud, her tone hoarse. Jack just grinned down at her in response, Ayisha noticing the look in his eye. They weren't going to the _Pearl_…

After difficultly climbing onboard of the _Dauntless_, Ayisha, with her arms wrapped around Jack's neck for leverage, eyed the many naval soldiers surrounding them once they got onto the main deck. Jack's grip on her tightened, as did hers around his neck.

"Mr. Sparrow. I thought that you would have been smarter enough not to show your face in front of me ever again." Commodore Norrington, stepped through the crowd, his hands neatly folded behind his back. "Gillette, fetch some irons," he called over his shoulder.

"Commodore, please, Ayisha needs help. She has been injured," Elizabeth intervened, standing protectively in front of Jack and Ayisha.

"And why should I help a pirate? Look, Elizabeth, I've already stepped out of line when I came here, to save Will, upon your request. I cannot do any more favors. The _Black Pearl_ got away, but we've got most of the crew locked in the cells below deck. It's time that we head back to Port Royal to plan further pursuit of that ship, and begin the process of punishment for these _pirates_." Norrington cast Jack and Ayisha a distasteful look. By this time, Ayisha was already torn away from Jack, both having irons clasped around their wrists.

"What about, Mr. Turner, Commodore?" Gillette asked, standing next to Will, with some irons in his hands.

"Put him with the rest," Norrington answered, passing a glance at Elizabeth.

"What? No! Father?" Elizabeth exclaimed, spinning around in the direction of Governor Swann, with pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth, but he has broken the law," the governor responded, regretfully.

Ayisha was grabbed by two navy soldiers, and when she looked at them, she gawked when she noticed that they were the exact same officers that helped them save Elizabeth from drowning,

"Sorry 'bout this, Miss," the lanky solider mumbled in Ayisha's ear as he and the portly man led her below deck,

"Yes, we are just doin' as we're ordered," the portly one added.

"I want to go into the one with her," Jack spoke up after Ayisha was placed into a separate cell away from the original crew of the _Pearl_. But the navy officer leading him, ignored him, and shoved him into the cramp cell, anyway, locking it soon after. Jack pressed his body against the metal bars, standing closer to Will's silent form, eyeing the crew of the _Pearl_, who were glaring at him. "Fine evening we're having, eh, gentlemen?"

Ayisha leaned against the bars, frowning in sorrow for Will, as she stared at his back that was facing in her direction, his arms crossed over his chest, head tilted down towards the floor. He hadn't said a word since they boarded the _Dauntless_. He was so sad about Elizabeth. Ayisha knew exactly how he felt. Pressing her hot forehead against the cool metal, she let out a soft groan of pain; or at least _she_ thought it was soft. She was beginning to feel dizzy, the wound on the back of her head burning in an uncomfortable way,

"Ayisha? Ye all right?" Jack's voice sounded dull, barely audible to Ayisha's ears. "Ayisha, speak to me."

"Jack?" Ayisha whispered, sliding down to floor, her vision going black for the _second_ time that day.

"_Amenirdis? Amenirdis, wake up." Someone patted Ayisha's cheek, and Ayisha blinked open her eyes, immediately shutting them due to the bright light that cast down on her from above. "Amenirdis, we haven't much time– you must wake up."_

"_M-mother?" Ayisha sat up, staring at her mother in confusion. "What is going on?"_

"_You're dying, my sweet," Tiyy answered, smiling solemnly. "You've caught a fever, and if your wound isn't cared for immediately, you will die. But that isn't why I called for you. I know that you will live on. You are strong, my daughter." Tiyy lovingly cupped Ayisha's cheek, rubbing her thumb across her cheek. "But, I cannot control the will of the Gods. And just in case you do pass on, I wanted you to know that your father and I love you very much. As does Aniba and Shabako." Tiyy sighed. "It is time that your father and I retire the throne. We are old in age, and it is time that we pass on our title of Pharaoh or Queen to either Shabako and yourself … that is, if you wish to have it."_

_Ayisha continued to stare at her mother with wide eyes. "Mother… I …"_

"_I know." Tiyy smiled softly. "Your destiny lies somewhere else. But you can't blame a mother for trying."_

"_I …" Ayisha paused. "I will think about it."_

"_Of course you will." Tiyy then stared up at the vacant sky. "It is time. I must let you go."_

"_I love you, Mother."_

"_I love you, too, Amenirdis."_

Feeling something damp draped across her forehead, Ayisha woke up and faced her side. She stayed silent as Elizabeth removed the wet cloth from her forehead and then dipped it into a basin of water. She noted that the white cloth was tinged pink. Licking her dry lips, shifting underneath the many layers of blankets, Ayisha took in the clothing Elizabeth was doting. It was much different from what Ayisha had gotten used to seeing the young woman in. The dress hugged Elizabeth's subtle curves perfectly, the sleeve reaching her elbows, and a white, lacy material hung loosely off the edges. To say the least, Miss. Swann wore a dress better than Ayisha ever could.

"The doctor said that you were lucky," Elizabeth broke the silence, dabbing Ayisha's forehead with the white cloth. "If Jack and Will hadn't yelled for the guards, you would have died. Apparently, you wound was bleeding more than it seemed." Elizabeth locked eyes with Ayisha, her thin, pink lips forming a frown. "I'm sorry. I wish I could have helped you sooner, so all of this could have been prevented, but, apparently no one listens to women these days. I still had to beg for the Commodore to allow you to receive help from our doctor after the guards answered Jack and Will's shouts."

"And I'm sorry that you have to marry him." Ayisha's voice came out airy and hoarse.

Elizabeth chuckled, "Yes. As am I. He is a fine man indeed, but …"

"You love Will," Ayisha finished.

"Yes. Yes, I suppose I do, don't I?" Elizabeth smiled softly. "May I ask you a question?" Elizabeth continued to gently dab Ayisha's forehead with the wet cloth, and Ayisha nodded. "How do you do it? Though I've only known you for but a few days, I saw how you reacted when you thought of Jack dead. And I've been around Mr. Sparrow enough times to know that he will never settle down with any woman– if I may be so bold to say. You are … Jack does not deserve someone like you."

"Love, Miss. Swann," Ayisha answered with a soft smile of her own. "And tolerance. Love and tolerance." She and Elizabeth shared a laugh. "May I give you advice of my own?" she asked, her eyelids growing heavy.

"I welcome it."

"Go with your heart. I left my home, my family, and my people to be with Jack. And I do not regret my adventures with him." Elizabeth dropped the cloth that was in her hand, and Ayisha gulped, throat dry, smiling as best as she could at Elizabeth, remembering how she met Jack, and how she had grown to love him. "At first, I thought much like you do of him..."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) Authors Note:** Next chapter, to not rouse any confusion, will be a flashback of how Ayisha met Jack :) (Which will be a whole, new, chapter that I am inserting into the fanfic).

I really appreciate every single one of you who are reading, even if most don't leave a review. The many alerts and favorites still let me know that you like this fanfic to some extent.

For those who were reading my other fanfic, 'Earth Girls are Easy', and notice that it is gone, it is because something happened. I have no clue why it's gone, since I did not delete it, but I sent an e-mail to the site and am waiting for a response. Hopefully I was not hacked, and it was just some sort of glitch. I am sorry if you thought that I delete it again, but I did not.

Please review if you can :3


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